After finishing all the scheduled events in North Korea and touring the Kaesong Industrial Complex, we returned to South Korea.

At the immigration office, someone from the National Intelligence Service was waiting for us.

“Junho.”

“Yes.”

“If you want to settle in South Korea, you’ll need to go through some training.”

“Training?”

“Yeah. Even the small things—like daily habits—are completely different between the North and the South. There’s a facility that helps people adjust after about a month of education.”

“...Does that mean we’re separating?”

Junho’s eyes wavered. His face clearly showed anxiety.

The only people he knew were me, Manager Ma, and the guards who had protected me in North Korea. Being separated from us was bound to scare him.

“After a month, Manager Ma will come pick you up.”

“You’re not abandoning me, right?”

That was when I understood why he was so uneasy.

He was afraid of being abandoned again.

“If I were going to do that, I wouldn’t have brought you here in the first place.”

“...Okay. I’ll finish the month and come back.”

“Good. Go with Manager Ma.”

I called Manager Ma and told him to hand Junho over to the NIS staff.

Manager Ma gave a slight bow and led Junho over.

“We’re from the National Intelligence Service. Is this the boy?”

“Yes. His name is Junho. The boss brought him personally. Please take good care of him.”

“Of course. We’ve already received orders from above to place him under special supervision. No need to worry.”

The NIS agent smiled kindly and bent slightly, then lowered himself to Junho’s eye level.

“Junho, we’ll be counting on you.”

“Y-Yes.”

Junho was visibly tense.

“Haha, no need to be so nervous. Everyone here is good people.”

After patting Junho’s shoulder a few times, the agent turned to Manager Ma.

“We’ll be going now.”

The NIS agent left the immigration office with Junho.

I watched them for a moment before turning away.

“Let’s go too. Is the car ready?”

“Yes, Boss. It’s waiting outside.”

We got into the car after leaving the building.

The sunlight streaming through the window felt unusually warm.

* * *

After returning to Korea, I mobilized all available resources to investigate the feasibility and obstacles of the Eurasian railway project.

I had already given a rough heads-up to President Yoon Changho and Myungsoo, and both welcomed the idea.

— Haha. President Kim, whenever you move, things get done.

Yoon Changho seemed pleased, likely because it could become one of his achievements.

“It’s not certain yet. I think we’ll get a clearer direction during the APEC China–Russia summit.”

— Understood. I’ll keep that in mind.

A month passed quickly.

Manager Ma entered my office with the compiled data.

He handed over the documents and summarized the findings.

“So it’s a profitable venture.”

“Yes. While the obstacles are significant, the potential gains are just as enormous.”

I had gathered every relevant piece of information over the past month.

I had never spent this long collecting data on a single project.

The sheer volume was massive, but I carefully reviewed everything laid out on the table.

From South Korea to China, Russia, and even Southeast Asia—I absorbed all the details into my mind.

Until now, I had only thought of a railway connecting the Korean Peninsula through Russia to Europe.

I hadn’t considered a network extending into China and Southeast Asia as well.

It took half a day just to read through everything.

“...Whew.”

I rubbed my eyes after setting down the final document.

Reading nonstop had strained them.

Manager Ma quickly brought me a cup of warm tea.

“Are your eyes bothering you?”

“A bit. But after seeing all this, I’m convinced we have to do it.”

“It’s a project with risks just as large as the profits.”

I nodded as I sipped the tea.

“It’ll require an enormous amount of capital. And it’s not something that can be completed with money alone.”

“Even so, you intend to proceed, Boss?”

“We have to. An opportunity like this won’t come again.”

There were countless obstacles.

As a massive international infrastructure project spanning multiple countries, political conflicts and national interests were the biggest hurdles.

There was also the issue of how participating countries would share the financial burden.

Still, it was worth attempting.

Since China and Russia held the largest stakes, if those two agreed, the others would have little choice but to follow.

“Let’s proceed.”

“Yes. I’ll prepare accordingly.”

“Funding will be the biggest issue... Kyungyeong and Eva can handle that. As for where to establish the corporation...”

Since this wasn’t a solo project, I needed to create a new entity.

At that moment, Manager Ma spoke.

“Boss, how about Ireland?”

“Ireland?”

“Yes. Corporate tax rates are lower than most European countries, and if the founder is a foreigner, there may be no additional tax obligations.”

Ireland had lowered its corporate tax rate to 12.5% in 2003 and was aggressively attracting businesses.

It hadn’t even come up when I was setting up paper companies in tax havens.

“Not bad. Let’s review it. This isn’t something I can decide alone.”

“Understood.”

I pushed aside the mountain of documents and checked the time.

“Today’s the day Junho comes out, right?”

“Yes.”

“Already? Time flies. He’s at Hanawon, right?”

“Yes. After a day of questioning by the NIS, he was transferred there.”

“Who’s picking him up?”

“I sent two employees.”

“...Will we make it if we leave now?”

“You’re going personally?”

I nodded as I stood.

“I brought him here. It’s only right.”

“If we leave now, we should arrive on time.”

“Good. Let’s go.”

We headed straight to Hanawon in Anseong.

Fortunately, we arrived right on time.

I stepped out of the car and waited.

After a while, the doors opened and a bus came out.

Transporting people to their assigned apartments by bus was the final step of Hanawon’s program.

After some time, Junho appeared.

He looked completely different after just a month.

“Hello.”

He bowed. His accent was still Northern, but it had clearly improved.

“I didn’t expect such a drastic change in just a month.”

“Did you learn a lot?”

“Yes. I even learned Korean.”

He had been abandoned at birth and lived on the streets.

Learning Korean in a month meant he had picked it up incredibly fast.

“Your height increased too. How tall are you now?”

“170. They said I might grow more.”

“Really? I thought growth would’ve stopped at eighteen.”

“The doctor said I didn’t grow because I didn’t eat properly. If I eat and sleep well, I can grow more.”

“That’s good.”

He looked like a completely different person.

He had grown taller, gained weight, and most importantly, his once sharp expression had softened.

“Let’s go.”

I put him in the car.

“Manager Ma, give them what we prepared.”

“Yes, Boss.”

Manager Ma handed an envelope to the staff.

“You’ve worked hard. Please use this for a team dinner.”

“Oh, no, that’s not necessary...”

“Please take it. The boss wanted to thank you.”

After some hesitation, the staff accepted it.

“Thank you.”

We got into the car.

“Let’s eat first. What do you want?”

“Anything.”

“Alright. Manager Ma, Myeongdong Hotel.”

“Yes, Boss.”

The car moved.

“What did you learn?”

“How to live in South Korea.”

“Very different from the North?”

“Completely different from what I’d heard.”

“...What should I do now?”

“Not sure yet. What do you want to do?”

“I don’t know.”

I turned to Manager Ma.

“Your thoughts?”

“He should take the equivalency exam first.”

“...Makes sense.”

“You need basic education before deciding anything.”

“Alright.”

I looked at Junho.

“Take your time. Tell me if there’s something you want.”

“...Why are you so good to me?”

“If you’re grateful, do your best for me.”

He nodded silently.

* * *

The day before the Busan APEC summit, I returned to Busan with Junho.

“Grandma.”

“Is that Junho?”

She ignored me and went straight to him.

“Can’t you see me?”

“You’ll be fine. He’s just a child.”

I decided to let Junho stay with her while preparing for the exam.

“Stay here with me.”

“Yes.”

“Come in. I made food.”

She had {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} prepared a full meal since dawn.

The entire time, she only talked to Junho.

“...Eat comfortably here.”

Junho couldn’t even respond, his throat tightening.

“I’ll head out.”

“You coming back tonight?”

“Yes.”

I left for my appointment.

Leaders from many countries had already arrived.

“Long time no see, Charlie.”

It was President George W. Bush.

“Yes, Mr. President.”

“Sit.”

Condoleezza Rice and several officials were with him.

“Do you know why I asked to see you?”

“No.”

“...Are you planning the Eurasian railway?”

So he already knew.

“Didn’t you already know I’m working with Russia?”

“That’s not what I’m asking.”

Where did the leak come from?

Only Yoon Changho and Myungsoo knew in Korea.

“Where did you hear that?”

“That’s not important. What matters is whether it’s true.”

As expected, he dodged the source.

“...Yes. It’s still in planning, but I intend to expand it further.”

Sometimes, being direct works best.