"Chairman. Mr. John Phillips is here."
Seok-won, who had been sitting on the sofa in the penthouse living room, turned his head at Deputy Manager Han Ji-seong's words.
When he saw John Phillips, the founder and CEO of Start.com, a recently high-profile IT venture company, standing there in a gray suit, he rose to his feet and greeted him warmly.
"It's been a long time."
As he took the hand that was offered first, CEO Phillips also greeted him with a smile.
"Have you been well all this time?"
"Thanks to you."
Smiling, Seok-won gestured toward the sofa with one hand.
"Please, have a seat here and let's talk."
"Thank you."
"I happen to have some top-grade Indonesian kopi luwak beans. Would you like to try some?"
"Oh. Kopi luwak, that's the coffee made from beans that civets eat, isn't it?"
Sitting across from him on the sofa, CEO Phillips showed his interest with a curious expression.
"That's right. I had it freshly roasted this morning, and it should taste quite good."
"Is that so? I must be in luck. If you're offering such a rare coffee, of course I have to try it."
When Phillips nodded, Seok-won gave a look to Manager Han Ji-sung, who was standing off to the side.
"Two cups of coffee, please."
"Yes."
Watching Seok-won lean back comfortably against the sofa, CEO Phillips spoke first.
"You've been incredibly active lately. Not long ago, I saw that you made a huge profit by short-selling the bankrupt Enron, and I was truly impressed."
Instead of answering, Seok-won showed a faint smile.
Then, resting his hands on the leg he had crossed, he spoke.
"On the contrary, you're the one running your company very well, CEO Phillips. I heard that Start.com's revenue doubled compared to last year. Expectations for this year's performance are high too."
At that, CEO Phillips wiped the smile from his face and straightened his posture with a serious expression.
"The reason I asked for your time, even though you're busy, is that a major obstacle has come up in increasing our sales."
Seok-won met the gaze of CEO Phillips sitting across from him and asked in a calm voice.
"You're here because of Google, aren't you?"
"...!"
CEO Phillips flinched, his face showing clear surprise.
"...So you already knew."
"When Google rolled out an advertising model called AdWords at the end of last year, I took a look at it, and it was very similar to what Start.com created."
At that, CEO Phillips raised his voice without realizing it, his tone filled with indignation.
"It's not just similar. Google is outright copying what we made and using it as is!"
They had taken the ideas and technology he had developed with such effort and were using them elsewhere as if they were their own, so it was only natural for him to be angry.
"Calm down and try to relax."
At Seok-won's words, CEO Phillips finally realized his mistake and lowered his head.
"I'm sorry. I was so angry that I ended up being rude."
"Even from my perspective, there were a lot of similarities, so it's only natural you'd be upset."
Just then, a dedicated hotel attendant came in carrying a tray with coffee rich in the aroma of freshly ground beans.
After she set the cups, decorated with ornate gold trim, down on the table and promptly stepped aside, Seok-won rested his hand on the armrest of the sofa he was sitting on and spoke again.
"Google was the one that rejected the idea when it was first proposed and tested, saying that search ads would clutter up the search process. And now they've stolen that business model and are using it. Of course that makes it even more infuriating."
As if he could see straight into his heart and had voiced exactly what he was feeling, CEO Phillips began pouring out the resentment he had been building up all this time.
"When they dismissed the idea, they said it had no value. But now that it looks like it'll make money, they shamelessly take the advertising model, change only the name, and release it as if they made it themselves. Isn't that completely brazen and shameless behavior?"
Watching CEO Phillips seethe with barely contained anger, he said.
"Have you tried talking to Google?"
"Of course. We confronted them about stealing our advertising model, and we even sent a formal notice through our lawyers."
"And yet you still came to see me, so I take it things didn't go very well."
As if that hit the mark, CEO Phillips exploded in frustration.
"They insist to the very end that they didn't copy ours, that it's their own original model!"
Seok-won nodded, as if he had expected this.
"If they were willing to pay a fair price and use Start.com's advertising model, that would be one thing. But the fact that they slapped on a different name and released it as if it were a separate model means they never had any intention of paying in the first place."
"That's exactly it!"
Seok-won looked at CEO Phillips with calm, steady eyes.
"You didn't come all the way to New York just to vent. What is it you want from me?"
At that, CEO Phillips, who had been eagerly agreeing with everything so far, hesitated for a moment before opening his mouth carefully.
"If Google, with its superior search engine, continues to use the advertising model we created without authorization, our revenue is bound to take a serious hit."
Seok-won gave a small nod, as if in agreement.
"After all, the revenue model Start.com created is targeted advertising that shows ads based on users' search results. Since the level of relevance will vary greatly depending on the performance of the search engine, advertisers will naturally be far more likely to flock to Google."
As if proving that this was exactly the case, CEO Phillips leaned forward in his seat, his face filled with anxiety.
"On top of that, if we tolerate Google using our model without authorization, other companies will start taking our work and using it however they please without paying for it."
"The bigger the advertising revenue gets, the higher the licensing fees would be, so if they can use it for free, of course they'll do exactly that."
"If that happens, our company will wither away and end up going bankrupt."
Seeing the grim look on CEO Phillips's face, Seok-won picked up the teacup in front of him, took a sip of the coffee that had cooled to lukewarm, and set it back down.
Then, in a slightly lowered voice, he asked,
"Are you thinking of suing Google for patent infringement?"
Receiving his gaze, CEO Phillips nodded heavily.
"I don't want to take it this far either, but if we don't want to just sit back and have our idea taken from us, it seems this is the only way."
"I understand how unfair it feels, but taking Google to court won't be easy. They've overtaken Yahoo to become number one in the search market, and they're now an unlisted startup valued at hundreds of billions of dollars."
But CEO Phillips showed no sign of hesitation at all, as if he had already come here fully prepared for this.
"I know it won't be an easy road. But not only can I never forgive the theft of our idea, but I also can't afford to back down like this if I want the company to survive."
If things continued like this, Start.com could end up being reduced to an empty shell after losing its core idea, so it was only natural to respond no matter what.
CEO Phillips showed firm resolve that he had no intention of backing down, but the way he subtly watched for a reaction made it easy to guess what he was worried about.
"This is something you could have explained well enough over the phone, but you came all the way here because I'm a major shareholder of Google, right?"
"...That's correct."
Seok-won was a major shareholder in both Google and Start.com, having invested in both from their early days and holding 43% and 30% respectively.
Since Seok-won was deeply involved with both companies, CEO Phillips had no choice but to tread carefully.
"Honestly, from my perspective, the best outcome would be for the two companies not to fight and to resolve the issue amicably."
At that, CEO Phillips replied with a serious expression.
"I would like that too, but Google's management has no intention of even trying to talk."
Although Start.com had been growing rapidly, posting over 100 million dollars in revenue last year, it was still nowhere near Google, which, despite being an unlisted company, was valued at hundreds of billions of dollars. The gap in scale between them was simply too large to compare.
Because of that, CEO Phillips was worried that Seok-won, who held stakes in both companies, might side with Google and pressure him to make concessions.
Internally, filled with tension, CEO Phillips resolved that if things really started going that way, he would pour out everything he had prepared over several days of deliberation and do whatever it took to persuade Seok-won.
Just as he was steeling himself and burning with fighting spirit, the words that came out of Seok-won's mouth left CEO Phillips completely stunned.
"If it's hard to resolve this through dialogue, then it can't be helped. Don't worry about me and do what you want."
"Right now, Google is worth far more, but the advertising model we have is… Excuse me? What did you just say?"
CEO Phillips, who had been pouring out arguments to persuade Seok-won, suddenly faltered as if something had gone wrong.
"It's fine. I said you can go ahead and file a patent lawsuit against Google."
"...Are you serious?"
CEO Phillips blinked in disbelief.
"Google is indeed a venture company a lot of people have big expectations for, but the same is true for Start.com."
"But still..."
Seok-won continued in a calm tone toward CEO Phillips, who was trailing off.
"As you yourself proved with the rapidly growing revenue, I believe Start.com will grow into a venture company just as promising as Google. But if the company collapses because it can't properly protect its core idea, just because I happen to be a major shareholder of Google, wouldn't that mean we're throwing away far more money we could earn in the future?"
All the worries he had carried with him on the flight to New York suddenly felt pointless, as Seok-won was actually encouraging him instead.
"But wouldn't a legal battle end up damaging Google's corporate value?"
When CEO Phillips asked, unable to hide his slight bewilderment, Seok-won grinned, showing his white teeth.
"If it were a company that could be shaken by something like that, I wouldn't have taken an interest in it in the first place."
At the strong confidence he displayed without trying to hide it, CEO Phillips felt a sense of admiration.
It might have sounded like arrogance, but when he thought about all the venture companies Seok-won had invested in and successfully grown so far, it was hard not to nod in agreement.
"On the contrary, if this incident becomes an opportunity for them to clearly recognize their own mistakes and weaknesses, Google will be able to take another step up."
Having confirmed that he was sincere, CEO Phillips let out a sigh of relief and patted his chest.
"In that case, I'll proceed with the patent lawsuit with peace of mind."
"As I promised when I first invested, unless you're doing something seriously wrong, I won't interfere with how the founder runs the company. If necessary, I can arrange for you to get help from the fund's legal team, so just say the word."
With a much lighter expression, CEO Phillips replied.
"Thank you. But this could put you in an awkward position with Google, so this time I'll accept just the thought."
"It doesn't really matter, so let me know whenever you need it."
"I will."
Having set down the heavy burden on his shoulders, CEO Phillips chatted a little longer with Seok-won in a much lighter mood before leaving the penthouse.
He also did not forget to lavish praise on the kopi luwak he tasted only afterwards, saying it had a very unique and captivating flavor.
Left alone, Seok-won rested his chin in his hand and looked at the seat where CEO Phillips had been sitting just moments ago, then muttered,
"Looks like it was always going to end up this way."
Even before his regression, there had been a legal battle over the stolen advertising model, and in the end, it was settled with Google handing over 2.7 million shares of its stock to Start.com.
"If it ends the same way this time, I can just take the Google shares we get as compensation."
Thinking about sitting back and watching the fight, then later scooping up several million shares at a dirt-cheap price, shares that would jump dozens of times in value after the IPO, Seok-won's lips curled into a deep smile.