TOIGC 20

Chapter 20 …

Plant Gold in American Soil! (2)

Brigadier General Colson wore an awkward expression as he explained the situation, trying to clear up the confusion from the unexpected news.

“I told you Yeonji had gone out to meet friends, but she was actually at the hospital. We just didn’t want you worrying unnecessarily.”

Yoongi, however, barely registered his grandfather’s explanation. What rang louder in his ears was Choi Deokbae’s sheepish, apologetic voice.

<Ah, America Sorry The Totally You’re a about age because could family forgot from gonna have he her in inheritance. life little live monopolize never nudged of past reason right. saw sister. so stepfather tell that that! the thief to was you you. young your>

When Yoongi involuntarily glared into thin air, Choi Deokbae scrambled to defend himself.

<Sorry, But Especially I a about be come company? do family for had history if it just kid no nothing off on, rattling reason? running sorry! started the to weird who whole with wouldn’t your>

As Yoongi stared silently into space, Park Yeonji seemed to misread his reaction. Approaching her son gently, she pulled him into a warm hug.

“Yoongi… even when your little sibling arrives, your father and I will still love you most in the whole world.”

Her gentle voice snapped Yoongi back to reality.

‘No, Mom, it’s not that! I’m not throwing a silent tantrum over losing your affection.’

Confirming his own feelings internally, Yoongi pulled back from the hug and helped his mother stand up.

“Y-Yoongi…?”

Park Yeonji wrung her hands nervously, assuming her heartfelt words hadn’t reached him. However, Yoongi’s next move completely melted her worries away.

“You have to love me and my little sibling the most—equally!”

Placing his ear against his mother’s belly—where a baby was definitely growing, even if it wasn’t showing yet—Yoongi beamed with the purest smile in the world.

“See? Did you really think your boy would get upset over something like that? He’s got my blood in his veins—he’s as easygoing as they come.”

Brigadier General Colson let out a hearty, satisfied chuckle at his grandson’s broad-minded reaction. Park Yeonji let out a deep sigh of relief, wrapping her arms around Yoongi while he remained pressed against her stomach.

“I really, really wanted a sibling.”

And he meant every word. In his past life, he had been an only child, and the loneliness inside his empty home had been suffocating. He had craved a connection to anchor himself to, and as he grew older, that isolation had only intensified. He used to think, ‘If only I had a brother or sister, I wouldn’t feel this lonely.’ So hearing his mother’s pregnancy news filled him with genuine joy.

‘Looks like I’ve got one more person to protect.’

While Yoongi was smiling inside and out, Brigadier General Colson turned to his daughter.

“By the way, what are your plans? It would have been fine if you didn’t know, but now that we know you’re pregnant, taking another long-distance flight is going to drain your energy. Didn’t the doctor say something?”

“Actually, yes. The doctor recommended I give birth here in America if possible. I should talk it over with my father-in-law first.”

“If that happens, then Yoongi…”

Brigadier General Colson trailed off, looking over at his grandson.

‘This is my chance!’

Yoongi had been looking for an opportunity to suggest living in America during school breaks, and perfect timing had just fallen right into his lap. Considering how tricky it would be for a newborn to board an airplane right away, this gave him a ironclad excuse to fly back and forth to America every break until he graduated elementary school.

“I’ll be fine! Mom and my new sibling are much more important. Just make sure to explain everything clearly to Grandfather and Dad.”

“A-Are you sure you’ll be alright?”

Yoongi nodded emphatically at his mother’s worried question.

“Of course! But in return, I get to come over every vacation to stay with you, okay?”

When Yoongi looked over at Brigadier General Colson, the old man’s mouth split into a wide, foolish grin.

“Whoa, so this is the Altair computer! I’ve only ever seen it in magazines!”

As Yoongi made a huge fuss, circling the machine in wonder, Bill Gates watched with a proud, beaming smile.

“Is this your first time seeing one in person?”

“Yes! Korea has fewer than 400 computers in the whole country, so you almost never get to see one.”

“Fair point. Computers aren’t exactly a common sight in America either.”

Nodding along with Bill Gates, Yoongi turned his attention back to the Altair. It was a fascinating computer without a monitor. The main unit was covered in tiny indicator lights, and you had to know how to decode those flashing lights just to operate it. It was cutting-edge technology for its time, yet Yoongi felt as if he were exploring a museum display, thoroughly enjoying the experience.

“Speaking of which, there’s actually a funny story behind this machine.”

“What is it?”

“When we were trying to close the deal with MITS, we had to demo our software. But mid-flight on his business trip, Paul realized we forgot to write a start prompt.”

“By start prompt… do you mean the code that executes the program?”

“You actually know what that is?!”

Every time their young investor proved just how deeply he cared about the field, Bill Gates was genuinely touched. Paul Allen, standing nearby with a sheepish grin, felt the exact same way.

“I really love computers! Even though I don’t know nearly as much as you guys…”

As Yoongi put on an intentionally bashful expression, Bill Gates scooped him up, set him down on a desk, and launched into a passionate speech.

“As far as I know, there aren’t many kids in America who care about computers as much as you do! Anyway, Paul barely finished writing the start prompt right there on the plane…”

Watching Bill Gates animatedly recount the story, practically spitting with excitement, Yoongi listened attentively with eyes full of genuine interest.

<Why I do embarrassed feel suddenly this…? watching>

Choi Deokbae stood to the side, awkwardly rubbing his nose with a finger. Truth be told, the biggest reason Yoongi could listen to someone talk with such rapt attention was Choi Deokbae himself. Yoongi had developed an immunity to long-winded ramblings back when he was an immobile infant, forced to listen to the ghost talk nonstop. On top of that, Yoongi harbored a massive craving for knowledge to overcome the deep-seated inferiority complex from his uneducated past life. Combining those two factors allowed him to be truly fascinated by everything Bill Gates was rambling about.

“Whoa, whoa, Bill, take a breather. You’re throwing around concepts that are way too complex for a kid.”

When Steve Ballmer stepped in to interrupt, Bill caught himself, letting out an awkward, bashful laugh.

“Ah, sorry, Yoongi. I just get overly excited about this stuff.”

Where Japan used the word otaku, America leaned toward nerd. In that sense, it made total sense for a computer nerd like Bill Gates to turn into a chatty chatterbox in front of someone who actually appreciated his passion.

“Bill, you’re a computer genius, aren’t you?”

“Hey, he called you a genius.”

While Paul laughed, Bill looked a bit embarrassed, though he didn’t deny it.

“So I was wondering… is everyone at Harvard a genius in their own field, just like you?”

“I don’t know if ‘genius’ is the right word, but I suppose they’re pretty close to it.”

To Bill Gates, a true genius was someone like Newton, Gauss, or Von Neumann, so his definition differed slightly from Yoongi’s everyday usage.

“Do you think I could take a tour of Harvard? I really want to see how real geniuses study and what kind of research they do.”

Looking at Yoongi’s sparkling eyes, Bill Gates stroked his chin in thought.

“Well, the thing is… I’m not currently attending classes at Harvard…”

When Bill turned his gaze toward Paul, Paul took a step back and shook his head defensively.

“Why are you looking at me? I went to Washington State!”

Both Bill Gates and Paul Allen then slowly pivoted their gaze in unison toward the remaining person in the room.

“Huh…?”

As Steve Ballmer pointed a finger at his own chest, Bill and Paul nodded eagerly.

“Why don’t you give our majority shareholder a tour of Harvard? It’s the summer semester anyway, so nobody will really notice.”

“Umm… well, I guess I could…?”

The moment Steve agreed, Yoongi smiled inwardly, having achieved his primary motive for visiting Microsoft.

Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it was a school universally named whenever people discussed the greatest universities in the world. Under normal circumstances, it was a campus Yoongi would never have stepped foot on in his entire lifetime. Yet here he was, walking through the main gates alongside Steve Ballmer, flanked by plainclothes military escorts provided by his grandfather.

“So this is Harvard…”

Hearing Yoongi murmur in Korean, Steve Ballmer looked down at him quizzically.

“Ah, I was just saying, ‘So this is Harvard.’”

“It goes without saying, but I assume this is your first time here?”

“Actually…”

“Actually?”

“It’s my first time visiting any university.”

Yoongi flushed slightly without realizing it. Back in Korea, where anyone without a college degree was treated like an outcast, his past life as a middle-school-dropout day laborer had earned him plenty of disdain. Of course, that was all in the past now.

“Well, isn’t that totally normal for your age?”

Seeing Steve’s bewildered expression, Yoongi caught himself internally with an ‘Oops!’ before letting out a sheepish, innocent giggle.

“No, I mean… real geniuses usually enter college when they’re super young, right?”

“If you ask me, you’re plenty smart yourself. Honestly, kids who enter Harvard at ten years old are generational prodigies written into history books. Even Bill, your favorite guy, went to a totally normal school like Lakeside when he was little.”

“Come to think of it, that’s true.”

After casually brushing it off, Yoongi took in the sights of the Harvard campus.

‘There really are all kinds of people here.’

Even though it was a gathering place for the brightest minds on Earth, the student body was wildly diverse. Some students were draped head-to-toe in luxury designer labels, while others wore clothes that looked cheap or even worn-out. Yet regardless of price tags, some students looked entirely unpretentious despite their expensive attire, while others looked remarkably striking in simple clothes.

‘In my past life, I used to think SNU was filled strictly with bookworms.’

Kids who did nothing but study in class every day—he had assumed that when those kids gathered at top universities, the atmosphere would naturally be dull and gloomy. Yet here at Harvard, under the bright American sunlight, a vibrant array of personalities was bringing the campus to life.

‘This is why seeing the world is so important.’

If he hadn’t been given a second chance at life—even if he hadn’t committed suicide—he would have lived and died trapped inside a narrow worldview. Even in this new life, if he had settled for comfortable complacency, he never would have witnessed this vast world.

‘Right. I need to see more and study harder. That’s the only way to repay the person who gave me this second chance.’

<Instead a ancestral be better for holding me more of payback? rituals that, wouldn’t>

Yoongi’s face scrunched up for a split second before smoothing back out as he turned toward the source of the voice. Except, in the direction he turned, Steve was standing there.

“So, what do you think of Harvard?”

Yoongi’s eyes landed straight on Ballmer’s forehead. He was only in his twenties, yet his hairline was already retreating heavily up toward the twelve o’clock position.

“Umm… it’s really huge.”

“Yeah?”

“And… it’s really bright.”

“Haha, that’s a sweet, kid-like evaluation. I like it!”

Steve grinned and patted Yoongi’s full, healthy head of hair. Though Steve himself didn’t realize it yet, and Yoongi had no idea about his future either, Steve Ballmer’s path ahead would be bright and legendary. After all, he was destined to become one of Microsoft’s primary shareholders.

“These are the lecture halls. Though a lot of them are empty right now because of the summer term.”

Following Steve around the campus, Yoongi realized they weren’t heading toward the place he actually wanted to see, so he asked directly.

“Is there any chance I could meet someone like Bill?”

“Someone like Bill? Ah, right, you mentioned wanting to do that earlier!”

Steve slapped his forehead and led Yoongi straight toward the research building. It was the hub where graduate students gathered. Pushing open the door to one of the rooms, Steve waved.

“Andrew, what are you up to?”

A man with messy, matted red shoulder-length hair stretched lazily in response.

“What else? Same old thing.”

He looked about two years older than Steve. Yoongi, of course, had no idea who this man was.

“Yoongi, this is Andrew Gibson. He’s currently pursuing his master’s degree in mathematics.”

At Steve’s introduction, Andrew glanced down at Yoongi with entirely uninspired eyes, let out a heavy sigh, and turned back to Steve.

“Honestly, I think I’m gonna have to drop out of the master’s program. My family’s completely broke…”

The moment those words left Andrew’s mouth, Yoongi’s eyes lit up.