Chapter 56. Fake Genius (2)

"If it gets out that I talked to you, it could be troublesome..."

He seems worried that he might suffer some harm. Does he want to bring down Rolf but doesn't want to offend him?

"I assure you, no one will know we met. Just like with the others I've met."

Kumar silently drank a few glasses of alcohol.

He seemed to have something he wanted to say, but I pretended not to notice and stayed quiet.

Sure enough, he spoke up on his own.

"I had a friend at MIT named Jason Kim."

Finally, the name I wanted to hear.

I hid my true feelings and asked, "Jason Kim? Is he Korean?"

"Yes. His Korean name was Kim something... "

Of course, if it's Jason Kim, it would be 'Kim something.' Specifically, Kim Jae-hyun.

"He immigrated to the U.S. when he was young. He was a shy guy. You know the type—somewhat creepy, couldn't speak well in front of people, and a bit stuttering."

"Yeah, I know the type."

When you think of an MIT engineering student, you might imagine a nerd, but it varies from person to person. Some are handsome and sociable, while others spend all their time in their rooms with computers.

Naturally, those who stand out by starting their own businesses are overwhelmingly the former. Rolf Butch is a perfect example.

Kumar spoke as if reminiscing.

"At first, he seemed ordinary or even a bit slow. But sometimes he would hit the nail on the head. In the first semester, he barely passed, but by the time he graduated, he had improved so much that the department head offered him a teaching assistant position."

Some people are geniuses as children but become ordinary adults, while others are unremarkable as children but become geniuses as they grow older.

They might learn one thing at a time, but they do so thoroughly, building their knowledge until their potential explodes.

You could call them late bloomers.

"I kept in touch with him occasionally after graduation. We were relatively close. One day, he contacted me. He had recently moved to Oakland and wanted to meet up."

"Did you meet him?"

"Yes. We met in San Francisco. By then, he had even gotten married. I was surprised to hear that. Given his personality, I thought he'd never even hold a woman's hand. Anyway, he asked me to introduce him to Rolf Butch."

"Why?"

"He wanted to start a company by developing a program and sought Rolf's advice on its business potential. Since I knew Rolf was in business, he asked me to make the introduction. Actually, there are plenty of developers who can create good programs. The key is whether it has business potential. Honestly, I don't know his skills, but Rolf can spot that like a sixth sense."

It might sound like nothing special, but it's a remarkable talent. How many developers waste their time developing apps no one uses?

That's why he succeeded.

"So, did you introduce them?"

"Yes."

I asked, puzzled, "From what you've said, it seems you don't think highly of Rolf. Why did you introduce them?"

Kumar smiled bitterly.

"At the time, I didn't think that way. If you meet Rolf, you'll see he has a strange charm that draws people in."

In fact, in Silicon Valley, there are many who have achieved greater success than Rolf at a similar age.

Scott Brown, co-founder of Snapchat, Bobby Cony, Brian Gavin and Joe Gebbia of Airbnb, and so on.

Still, Rolf Butch is known as the epitome of a Silicon Valley entrepreneur due to his good looks and eloquence.

He appeared on various broadcasts and gave speeches, showing off his wit, and spread rumors with Hollywood actresses. His current girlfriend is Kiara Chesky, a Victoria's Secret model.

He also communicated actively with the public through Twitter.

Therefore, some criticized his fame as a bubble, but his success with CoolCloud silenced them.

"Are you saying Rolf copied Jason's program?"

Kumar shook his head.

"I don't know. I've never seen the program Jason made. I heard it was related to cloud and big data, but there are many such programs. However, if I know Rolf, I think it's possible he copied some of the system or code."

He seems to doubt Rolf but doesn't think he would steal an entire program.

That would be too out of the ordinary.

"Can't you just ask Jason directly if it was copied?"

Kumar shook his head with a bitter expression.

"He died in a car accident."

"Oh... I see."

I already knew but asked anyway.

"Rolf Butch founded CoolCloud less than half a year after Jason's death, after wrapping up his previous business."

The dead have no voice. So, he could announce that he created the program without any burden.

I asked the most important question.

"Do you know anything about Jason Kim's wife?"

He had a wife and children, but the media didn't know about them. So, I needed to get this information.

Kumar asked curiously, "Why are you asking about her?"

"I want to talk to her. If Rolf did steal or misuse Jason Kim's program, it's a crime. Shouldn't people know about it?"

Kumar looked hesitant.

Knowing he would eventually tell me, I waited calmly. For him, it was a chance to blow his nose without getting his hands dirty.

If it worked out, great; if not, no harm done.

Sure enough, he spoke.

"I heard they met in Oakland at a Hop. Her name is Julia Witherspoon. I believe she kept her maiden name after marriage. If nothing has changed, she should still be working there."

"I see."

I smiled inwardly, having obtained the information I needed.

* * *

Back at the hotel, I told David what I learned from Rajin Kumar.

"So, you're saying Rolf Butch copied a program made by someone named Jason Kim and used it to start a company?"

"Yes. It's certain. Jason Kim, who was planning to co-found the company, died, and Rolf quickly wrapped up his previous business and founded CoolCloud. Is that just a coincidence?"

"Even if that's true, it doesn't prove he copied it. If it's just an idea theft, it's not a big issue."

In fact, such accusations and disputes are common in the IT industry.

Mike Goldenberg, who created FaceNote, was involved in several lawsuits with his partners over idea theft and equity issues.

"But it's different if he stole something made by a dead person, right?"

"How can you be sure?"

"Rajin Kumar, along with Seed, said it was definitely copied. As his MIT classmate and former colleague, if he thinks so, it must be true, right?"

He didn't say it that definitively. He just had suspicions. But if I say he did, then it is.

I exaggerated what Rajin Kumar said and fabricated what he didn't. That's why I went alone.

"He said the program Jason made was exactly the same as the early form of Minerva. So, Rolf stole his dead friend's program. The dead have no voice, so nothing has been said until now."

David spoke cautiously.

"If it's true, we can hold him accountable. But do you have any evidence or documents to prove it?"

"Jason Kim's computer should still be around. If we search it, we'll find related documents."

"Where is that computer?"

"His wife should have it."

I'm so confident because it was later revealed to be true. So, the evidence must be somewhere.

"I also found out where to meet her. Let's go see her."

Hop is a famous American pancake house franchise, and there's only one branch in Oakland.

If she's still working there, we can meet her immediately. If not, we can still get information about her.

David sighed, "It feels like we're playing detective."

I smiled, "Isn't it fun?"

He couldn't deny it.

* * *

At the pancake house Hop in Oakland.

Julia Witherspoon had worked as a server here since graduating from high school. With her cute appearance and kind personality, she was popular with customers, and the place was often crowded with young men.

Among them was a young Asian man in his mid-20s. He always came at the same time, ordered the same menu, and worked on his laptop while eating.

"Nice to see you."

"Ah, yes, yes."

He couldn't even make eye contact, just staring at his laptop screen.

'What is he doing?'

Curious, Julia tried to peek but accidentally spilled coffee on his laptop.

"Ah!"

"Oh no! What do we do?"

She quickly wiped the coffee, but the laptop wouldn't turn back on.

Julia bowed and apologized, "I'm really sorry. I'll pay for it."

The man waved his hand, "N-no, it's fine. I was planning to replace it anyway."

"Didn't you have important data on it?"

He smiled, "Don't worry. In the 21st century, all important data is stored in the cloud."

"Huh?"

'What's the cloud?'

As she continued to apologize, he cautiously asked, "W-would you like to see a movie with me? There's one I wanted to see, but it's boring to go alone. Well, I can go alone, but it would be more fun with someone..."

His awkwardness made him seem cute.

"Sure. Let me buy the tickets as an apology."

"No, no! I'll buy them."

That's how they went on their first date.

His name was Jason Kim, or Kim Jae-hyun in Korean. He had immigrated to the U.S. with his father when he was young, but his father had recently passed away.

"Are you a writer?"

"Huh?"

"You're always working on your laptop, so I thought you might be writing."

"Oh! I'm a developer."

"What does a developer do?"

"I develop programs and applications for computers and smartphones."

He was a genius who graduated from MIT.

Julia was surprised.

"MIT is a place only geniuses go, right?"

Jason smiled awkwardly.

"Sure, but I barely got in and barely graduated. I'm still learning one thing at a time."