The sun was setting slowly in the evening sky.
A large Mercedes sedan glided smoothly into the residential area of Hannam-dong and stopped in front of a mansion surrounded by tall walls.
The secretary, sitting in the front, got out and carefully opened the rear door, speaking cautiously.
"Chairman, we've arrived at your residence."
At that, Chairman Park Tae-hong, who had dozed off against the plush leather seat, slowly opened his eyes.
"Hmm, I see."
As he stepped outside and walked toward the large front gate, the secretary quickly rang the doorbell.
[Who is it?]
"The chairman has arrived."
Hearing the voice of the housekeeper, the secretary promptly responded.
A moment later, the gate unlocked with a clatter, and Chairman Park stepped through the garden and into the main entrance of the house.
"You're home."
"Welcome, Father."
Standing beside Madam Jo Deok-rye and the housekeeper, who was wearing an apron, was Seok-won.
Chairman Park looked at his second son, who somehow seemed to be in good spirits, and bluntly remarked,
"I thought you said you'd be staying in the U.S. a little longer, but you came back quickly."
"The work wrapped up sooner than expected."
Chairman Park simply nodded stiffly, took off his shoes, and stepped inside.
The secretary, standing behind him, politely handed the briefcase to Madam Jo Deok-rye and gave a deep bow.
"Then, I'll take my leave, madam."
"Thank you for your hard work."
The secretary also bowed courteously to Seok-won before exiting the mansion.
After taking a shower and changing into comfortable loungewear, Chairman Park entered his study and noticed an unfamiliar item, causing his thick eyebrows to arch slightly.
Sitting alone on the wide mahogany desk was an elegant red box.
As he turned the box over in his hands, Jo Deok-rye entered the study with a cup of ginger tea.
"What's this?" he asked.
Placing the tea on the desk, Jo Deok-rye replied,
"It's your favorite liquor."
"I know that. I'm asking who brought it."
"Seok-won picked it up from the duty-free shop on his way back."
"Seok-won did?"
The moment he heard that, Chairman Park scoffed.
"Well, I guess he must've felt a little guilty about taking time off and still getting paid."
"Oh, honestly. Can't you speak a little more nicely? What kind of remark is that?"
"What did I say?"
"Ugh, never mind. Even if I say something, you won't listen anyway. I'm just wasting my breath."
Despite her words, Chairman Park Tae-hong didn't seem to dislike the fact that his second son had gone out of his way to buy him a gift. In fact, his eyes showed a hint of anticipation.
"Let's take a look."
He unfastened the clips on both sides of the tall box and slowly lifted the case.
A heavy crystal bottle was revealed, filled with cognac—none other than Louis XIII, known as the king of cognacs.
Just below the gold wax seal, the neck of the bottle was adorned with a genuine 14K gold-plated embellishment, adding to its luxurious appeal.
The bottle itself, crafted by a renowned French crystal brand, was stunning, and the accompanying crystal stopper was an artwork in its own right.
As Chairman Park picked up the bottle, Jo Deok-rye's eyes sparkled.
"Every time I see it, I think the bottle is absolutely beautiful. You said it's called Louis XIII, right?"
"That's right. They call it the king of cognacs."
He replied with a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
His careful handling, as if touching something precious, made Jo Deok-rye look at him in exasperation.
"You were sulking in front of Seok-won who just came back from the U.S., but now your mood has changed already? Honestly, you can never resist alcohol."
"Ahem. What are you talking about?"
"You're unbelievable."
She shook her head in exasperation.
"Well then, should I have a little taste?"
Just as Chairman Park moved toward the liquor cabinet in his study to grab a glass, Jo Deok-rye frowned.
"What do you mean, drink? I brought you ginger tea, so have that instead."
"I'm just going to taste it."
"And then you'll end up drinking until you're drunk, won't you?"
"Hah, do you think I'm that easy to fool?"
"In that case, give me a glass too."
Chairman Park turned to her, slightly surprised.
"You're not really into alcohol, though."
"It's not that I can't drink at all. I just don't like getting so drunk that I can't even find my way home—unlike someone else I know."
Jo Deok-rye tilted her chin up slightly and narrowed her eyes.
"You're not hesitating because you don't want to share, are you?"
At that, cold sweat formed on Chairman Park's back.
"O-of course not."
Pretending not to notice his wife's sharp gaze, he quickly fetched two glasses, broke the tightly sealed bottle, and poured the cognac.
As the deep amber liquid filled the glasses, its renowned, rich aroma spread through the air.
"Come to think of it, it's been a while since we've had a drink together."
As Chairman Park Tae-hong handed his wife a glass, he casually started a conversation.
"Good that you realize that."
Perhaps it was the scent of the liquor, but tonight, his wife looked even more beautiful than usual.
The soft lighting in the study only added to the effect, making even her slightly pouting lips seem endearing.
"Alright, let's toast."
"Fine."
Jo Deok-rye lightly clinked her glass against his and took a sip of the Louis XIII.
True to its reputation as the king of cognacs, the refreshing aroma of grapes spread pleasantly, and the liquor went down incredibly smoothly.
Even after swallowing, the rich fragrance lingered in her mouth, leaving a lasting impression—as if to prove what truly fine liquor was.
"Oh my, this has such a wonderful aroma."
"This is what you call a luxury drink."
"If it's this good, I could finish the whole bottle."
Without hesitation, Jo Deok-rye downed the rest of her glass and held it out.
"Pour me another."
"Huh? You're having more?"
"Yes. It's so smooth and fragrant that I find myself craving more. Now I see why you like it."
"This might be easy to drink, but don't be fooled—it has quite a high alcohol content. Maybe you should stop here."
"What, you don't want to share? Are you that stingy?"
At this point, the roles had reversed—now it was Chairman Park who was trying to stop her from drinking too much.
"No, it's not that. I'm just worried about you."
"I told you, I can handle my liquor."
Jo Deok-rye swiftly emptied the refilled glass in one go and suddenly shot up from her seat.
"We can't just drink like this. I'll bring some snacks—wait here."
Before he could stop her, she hurried out of the study.
"Maybe I shouldn't have opened that bottle…"
Seeing her get ready to start a full-fledged drinking session, Chairman Park regretted his decision—but it was already too late.
***
The next morning.
As Seok-won came down the stairs, he ran into the housekeeper, who was carrying a tray toward the master bedroom.
"You're up, young master."
"Good morning, ma'am."
Noticing how quiet the living room was, Seok-won glanced around and asked,
"Is Mother still not up?"
"She's feeling a bit unwell, so she's resting in bed."
"Where does she feel unwell?"
Seok-won asked with a concerned expression, but the housekeeper, Mrs. Gunsan, hesitated awkwardly.
"Well… it seems she has a bit of a hangover."
"…Excuse me?"
Thinking he had misheard, Seok-won asked again.
"Did you just say… a hangover?"
"Yes. It looks like she had quite a bit to drink with the chairman last night. Madam has been groaning in bed, and the chairman only managed to have some honey water before heading out this morning."
As she spoke, Mrs. Gunsan carefully balanced the tray in both hands and hurried toward the master bedroom.
Still looking bewildered, Seok-won followed to check on his mother.
"Ma'am, are you alright?"
"Mrs. Gunsan… help me sit up. My stomach feels terrible."
"Oh dear. You're not usually one to drink so much. What happened last night?"
"I don't know… I don't remember a thing."
Jo Deok-rye slowly propped herself up and carefully sipped the honey water that the housekeeper had brought.
"Mother, I heard you're not feeling well."
Seok-won approached the bedside and asked.
"It's nothing serious, so don't worry."
Clearly embarrassed to be bedridden from a hangover, Jo Deok-rye hurriedly tried to brush it off.
"Have you eaten anything this morning?"
"My stomach feels off, so I don't have much of an appetite."
Seeing how flustered she was, Seok-won decided not to push further and simply nodded.
"Please try to rest, and make sure to eat something once you feel better."
"Alright, alright. Now go on, I need to lie down a little longer."
"Yes, Mother."
As he stepped out and closed the bedroom door behind him, Seok-won muttered to himself.
"Did they really drink the whole bottle of cognac I gave them last night?"
Had they actually finished an entire bottle? That was pretty strong stuff…
Just then, hearing his mother groan behind the closed door, he shook his head.
"What in the world happened last night?"
A little while later, Mrs. Gunsan came out of the bedroom and informed him that Chairman Park had left early for work due to his morning schedule.
"He looked like he had a terrible stomachache, so I gave him some honey water, but I'm not sure if that was enough."
Listening to the housekeeper's concerns, Seok-won ate his breakfast alone before heading down to the garage, where his prized BMW sedan was parked.
As soon as he started the engine and was about to drive off, his phone rang in his jacket pocket.
"Who could be calling this early?"
He answered the call, and the familiar voice of Landon from New York came through the line.
[Boss, it's me. Do you have a moment to talk?]
"You wouldn't be calling if things didn't go well with Yahoo."
[Yes. Yesterday, I finalized an agreement with the two co-founders to invest $2 million in exchange for a 40% stake. The contract has been signed as well.]
Hearing this, Seok-won grinned.
"That means the company is valued at $5 million."
[That's right. It seems like we gave them a slightly generous valuation, but since you told me to secure the shares even if we had to compromise, I didn't drag out the negotiations.]
"You did well."
[I followed your instructions, but I still wonder if we paid too much for the stake.]
At this, Seok-won adjusted his grip on the phone and responded.
"No. It might seem expensive now, but before long, you'll realize we got a bargain."
[Like with Netscape?]
"Exactly."
A smirk played on Seok-won's lips.
[I really hope things turn out that way. Oh, by the way, Netscape's stock finally broke past $110 on the Nasdaq yesterday.]
Seok-won didn't look particularly surprised—rather, his reaction suggested this was exactly what he had expected.
"That means the shift in ownership is complete."
[Just as you predicted, the recent dip was merely a temporary correction from profit-taking. The momentum is so strong now, it's almost scary.]
"I told you this would happen."
Leaning back against the leather seat, Seok-won continued,
"If the stock price keeps rising, it might become too expensive for new investors. Talk to Tom and see what he thinks about a stock split."
[A stock split right after going public? If that happens, Netscape will be making Nasdaq history in more ways than one.]
There were still plenty more surprises to come, but Seok-won kept them to himself for now.
"You made sure to include the right of first refusal in the investment contract with Yahoo, correct?"
[Of course. In fact, that's why we had to push up the company's valuation a bit more.]
Whenever Seok-won made a venture investment—whether in Netscape, Hotmail, or Yahoo—he always made sure to include a right of first refusal clause in the contract.
'There's barely enough to go around as it is—I'm not about to let someone else dip into the honey jar.'
For a moment, he wondered if this meant Masayoshi Son, the Korean-Japanese entrepreneur who founded SoftBank, would no longer be able to invest in Yahoo.
'Well, whatever. That's not my problem.'
Maybe this meant that, in this timeline, SoftBank and Masayoshi Son wouldn't wield the same influence they had before his regression. But that wasn't something he needed to worry about.
[I'll organize the details and send them to you by email.]
"Do that."
Ending the call, Seok-won pocketed his phone and smiled deeply.
He had now secured investments in Netscape, the web browser that would dominate the market, and Yahoo, which would soon become synonymous with the word portal. And on top of that, he had the right to acquire even more shares in the future.
"Neither company will stay on top forever, but I'll be long gone before that happens."
Feeling uplifted by the great news, he hummed a tune as he fastened his seatbelt.
Then, gripping the wheel, he lightly pressed the accelerator.
Vroooom!
With a roaring engine, his BMW sedan shot out of the garage, its doors still wide open.
TL/n -
Yahoo was founded in 1994 by Jerry Yang and David Filo, two Stanford University graduate students. Initially, it started as a web directory called "Jerry and David's Guide to the World Wide Web," which helped users navigate the early internet. It was later renamed Yahoo!, an acronym for "Yet Another Hierarchically Organized Oracle."
Key Milestones in Yahoo's History:
1995: Yahoo! was incorporated and launched its web portal.
1996: Yahoo! went public, becoming one of the early internet companies to do so.
2000: Yahoo! became one of the biggest internet brands, valued at over $125 billion during the dot-com boom.
2008: Microsoft attempted to acquire Yahoo! for $44.6 billion, but Yahoo! rejected the offer.
2012: Marissa Mayer, a former Google executive, became CEO in an attempt to revive the company.
2016: Yahoo! was acquired by Verizon Communications for $4.48 billion, a fraction of its former valuation.
2021: Verizon sold Yahoo! to Apollo Global Management, and Yahoo! became an independent company again.