Chapter 10: The One Who Eats First Wins (2)

* * *

When Ian visited Daeho Corporation again, Jang Daeho's attitude had completely changed.

"Oh, you're here!"

"Ah, why are you making me so uncomfortable? Just treat me casually, please."

He rushed out to greet Ian, his excitement clearly visible on his face.

"I've succeeded! Take a look at this."

Jang Daeho then presented a new battery, a high-capacity model far superior to the existing ones.

It was a fusion of modern technology and an item from a dream.

A new technology that would be commonplace in the future, but for now, Ian and Jang Daeho were the first to achieve it. It could be called a groundbreaking discovery ahead of its time.

"I showed the prototype to a few clients, and they're all placing orders to start trading immediately!"

"Oh, that's great."

"Yes, it's all thanks to you, Mr. Ian."

"No, no, it's nothing. Haha."

'Yeah, it's all thanks to me.'

There was a reason why Jang Daeho's attitude had become much more respectful.

Ian had been waiting for Jang Daeho to come crawling. Since he had given a taste, Jang Daeho would now be the one feeling regretful.

"Do you think... you can get more Hongok? We need a lot to meet the demand..."

"Hmm."

Ian pretended to be deep in thought, making a serious face and sighing.

Since he had exaggerated that Hongok was hard to obtain, he couldn't easily agree. This way, the other party would be more anxious.

As expected, Jang Daeho, who had taken the bait, became anxious and proposed a deal.

"I'll pay for all the Hongok you gave me last time."

'No, paying is a given. Surely, he doesn't think it's free, right?'

Without a response, Jang Daeho struggled to think of what conditions to offer.

This new product was definitely a hit. A highly advanced product that no major corporation in the world could replicate. Industrial spies were already trying to steal the technology and materials.

Ian held the key to an opportunity that could propel Daeho Corporation to new heights.

"Ten million won per Hongok!"

"Ten million won?"

In Ian's memory, the value of Hongok was around one million won per piece. It was a common item.

Of course, as a raw material, it was on the expensive side, but compared to other items, it was relatively cheap.

The reason Jang Daeho was willing to pay ten million won was that it was a rare item not yet available on the market.

"Ugh... Fifteen million!"

Seeing Ian deep in thought, Jang Daeho, misunderstanding, raised the price on his own.

He could do this because a major corporation had offered a large advance, and some were even willing to invest.

Hongok was essential to meet the urgent demand.

"Hmm. I don't have a lot of them right now..."

"Twenty million! I can't go any higher."

'Who would have thought Hongok would skyrocket to twenty million won. This must be what happens in the early stages.'

Jang Daeho looked completely distressed, as if he had pushed the price to the brink of profitability.

"Alright. I'll sell them to you for twenty million won each. It's a risk for me and my family, but I understand your position."

Ian made a conscienceless statement, taking a profit of nearly 20 times. He hadn't expected to go this far, but since the other party had raised the price first, what could he do?

'He must have raised it because he can still make a profit.'

Jang Daeho, having successfully signed the contract, said he would pay for the 50 Hongok he had received last time.

Then, he tentatively brought up the topic of additional supply.

"So, how many can you give me right now...?"

"How many do you need?"

"The more, the better!"

After all, one Hongok didn't make one product. With just a few dozen, Jang Daeho could produce a large quantity.

But the more he needed, the more it meant that orders were pouring in.

"Do you have about ten? Or even five, if you can keep supplying them..."

"Another 50 should be enough, right?"

As if he had never been in deep thought, Ian smiled and handed over 50 Hongok to Jang Daeho.

Jang Daeho was speechless.

'Damn him! He was pretending he didn't have many!'

It was annoying, but having some was better than nothing.

* * *

Meanwhile, the South Korean government was being pressured by countries around the world.

No country had yet solved the dream fog issue or provided a clear explanation. Therefore, they were looking to South Korea for a solution.

"Minister! We've received a diplomatic document from the United States!"

"China has sent a diplomatic document..."

"The Japanese government is requesting an informal meeting..."

As a result, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was in a state of chaos.

"Ugh, what do they want us to do when we don't even know what's happening!"

Eventually, they had to meet with ambassadors from various countries and explain the situation one by one.

"So, we are still in the process of understanding the situation..."

"We just received a message from our headquarters. There's a high probability that a dream manipulator was involved. Has South Korea identified any dream manipulators?"

"Excuse me? A dream manipulator... what is that?"

"What does the South Korean government know, anyway?"

The role of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was to handle international diplomacy. They needed to receive detailed domestic reports and information about dream manipulators from other departments.

Of course, the coordination was not properly established, and the investigation into the dream fog and dream manipulators was slow, leading to ineffective diplomatic responses.

Based on information from other countries, the government finally learned about the existence of dream manipulators and issued a search order.

"Several victims of the Gangnam Station incident reported seeing a man in their dreams. Quickly identify and find him!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Find him by any means necessary, understood?"

"Understood!"

While everyone was floundering and unable to respond, the dream manipulator, who had solved the dream fog issue, was the only one who had done so. Other countries were still struggling to find a solution.

'He must be found and recruited at all costs.'

They had received intelligence that foreign spies were already on the move. They couldn't afford to fall behind in information gathering.

Thus, many people were desperately searching for Ian.

* * *

With 200 million won from selling Hongok to Jang Daeho, Ian immediately started looking for a new apartment to move into.

He wanted to get out of his current living situation as soon as possible.

"Do you want a six-month lease?"

"Yes, I won't be staying long."

"Immediate move-in, six-month lease, and a deposit below 100 million won... Hmm, there aren't many options."

Dream manipulators often travel, so they don't need to be tied to a specific home, but having a temporary base was necessary.

"Ah, there's a good deal here. It's not far from the center of Seoul and has a great location for the price."

"I'll take it."

Since it was only for six months, there was no need to be too meticulous. After confirming that the conditions were decent, they agreed to the contract.

Suddenly, an urgent news report came on the TV.

- Breaking news. The strange phenomenon that occurred near Gangnam Station has been clarified. The government has named the series of global incidents as 'dream fog' and announced that they can be resolved by dream manipulators. In some countries, including the United States, people who identified themselves as dream manipulators have stepped in to resolve the situation. It is believed that the dream fog near Gangnam Station was resolved by an unknown dream manipulator in South Korea. The government is now searching for the dream manipulator who resolved the Gangnam Station dream fog based on eyewitness accounts.

A composite sketch of Ian was prominently displayed.

'These people. Are they treating me like a criminal? Why are they making a composite sketch and causing a fuss? Can I sue the government and the media?'

Ian, just in case, took out his phone and checked various news articles and portal sites.

Sure enough, his composite sketch was plastered all over the internet, and there was a lot of buzz about the hero who resolved the Gangnam Station incident.

- Isn't this the first time a situation was resolved in South Korea? This person should run the country. His crisis management skills are LTE-level.

- If the government could handle crises like this, how great would it be? I don't even expect that much, though.

Most people were amazed by the dream manipulator's ability to resolve the situation and compared it to the government's response.

Some focused on other aspects.

- Wow, he's handsome. Composite sketches usually look weird, but this one is good-looking.

- He must be even better in person.

- ㅉㅉ Look at all the swooning fans already.

- Is this a government fabrication? Are they trying to create a hero to sway public opinion?

- ㄴㄴ I think I saw this person in Gangnam Station. He was walking a cute rabbit.

- A rabbit? ㅋㅋㅋ That's adorable. So he's the 'Gangnam Station Rabbit Guy'?

While reading the comments, Ian's eyes widened at the bizarre term 'Gangnam Station Rabbit Guy.'

The combination of a young man and a rabbit was quite noticeable. Occasionally, people would post sightings, wondering if it was the same person.

However, these were just a few and quickly got buried in other comments.

'What's a 'Rabbit Guy'? A 'Rabbit Guy'! How...? Oh, how important am I?'

While Ian was grumbling, the news continued.

- The government is searching for the hero who saved countless lives in this global emergency. If you are watching this broadcast, please come to the nearest police station...

'There will be a lot of self-proclaimed dream manipulators for a while. Well, it's a transitional period, so I understand.'

The real estate agent, who was watching the news, glanced at Ian and compared him to the composite sketch.

"Are you... the person they're talking about, Mr. Ian?"

"No, I'm not."

"Ah, ahaha. I see. Composite sketches aren't very reliable, after all."

Ian had no reason to hide his identity, but he hated being bothered. He firmly denied it before the real estate agent could bombard him with unnecessary questions.

Most importantly, he knew why the government was searching for him through the media.

'They need a shuttle to work for the government!'

In the future, dream manipulators took various paths.

Some were lone wolves, bureaucrats, politicians, corporate employees, association members, and even low-level dream manipulators like Ian.

Dream manipulators could work in various fields and organizations. For top-tier dream manipulators, such distinctions were meaningless.

'I don't want to work for the government, but I should use whatever I can to my advantage.'

Ian's eyes sparkled.