With the foundations of Future Mind Co. firmly established, its financial fortress secured in international banks, and valuable land acquisitions underway in Pangyo and Gangnam, Min-jun's empire was no longer a dream but a tangible, rapidly expanding reality. His new, opulent study, with its expansive views of Seoul, became his command center, a sanctuary where the future truly unfolded before him. The Chronos Compression Algorithm continued to funnel vast sums into Future Mind Co.'s coffers, providing a stable bedrock of passive income. But Min-jun knew that true power lay not just in current wealth, but in absolute foresight.
He dedicated an entire week, almost without sleep, to a new, monumental project. He recognized the inherent risk in relying solely on the Omni-7's real-time connection to 2030; while robust, any disruption could sever his link to the future. To mitigate this, he began to systematically archive the next fifteen years of critical financial and technological history.
Utilizing the Omni-7's incredibly advanced screenshot and data extraction tools, Min-jun methodically created a secure, offline database. He downloaded entire future editions of major financial newspapers, technological journals, corporate earnings reports, and market analyses. He captured future stock charts, detailed histories of startups, and the rise and fall of countless industries. This massive data dump, compressed by the very Chronos Algorithm he had "invented," was stored within the Omni-7 itself, forming an impenetrable, self-contained library of the future. It was his ultimate safeguard, a digital "Black Box" of destiny.
One of the most significant sections of this vast archive was dedicated to the impending dot-com bubble. Min-jun created a specific, highly detailed file, a "Dot-Com Dossier," meticulously listing hundreds of internet and technology companies that would emerge and capture global attention in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
He categorized each entry with chilling precision, classifying them based on their eventual fate:
'Future Giants': Companies like Amazon and eBay, which would weather the storm and emerge as titans, forever reshaping commerce. He noted their early valuations, key growth milestones, and eventual market dominance. 'Short-Term Flashes': Businesses like GeoCities and theGlobe.com, which would experience meteoric rises, capture immense investor enthusiasm, only to spectacularly crash and burn, leaving behind little more than cautionary tales. Min-jun carefully documented their peak valuations and the precise timing of their inevitable collapse. 'Outright Frauds': This category included companies that were built on little more than hype and deception, destined to collapse under the weight of their own non-existent business models. He detailed the legal repercussions and the figures involved.
This dossier was a treasure map, charting the course through a tumultuous but incredibly lucrative period. It was his guide to navigating the coming speculative frenzy, allowing him to siphon immense wealth from the hype while avoiding the inevitable crashes.
Simultaneously, with a grim determination, he constructed another, even more critical dossier: the "IMF Crisis File." This document was a chillingly detailed premonition of the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis, a cataclysm that would cripple South Korea. He compiled exhaustive information: which major Korean corporations would fail spectacularly, which would survive through painful restructuring, and the Korean government's exact, often desperate, responses. He charted the precise economic indicators that would precede the crisis, the specific dates of critical policy decisions, and the full extent of the national hardship.
This file was more than just a historical record; it was his future "patriotic" playbook. It contained not only the knowledge to protect Future Mind Co. and his family from the impending economic storm but also the precise strategies to acquire distressed assets at rock-bottom prices, to invest in the few companies that would thrive post-crisis, and potentially, to subtly influence national policy through well-timed suggestions to Mr. Park, who in turn could relay them to influential contacts. This wasn't about personal gain alone; it was about protecting his homeland, a heavy responsibility he carried with quiet resolve.
Days later, with his digital archives complete and his strategies refined, Min-jun called Mr. Park to his new study. He laid out a printed, simplified version of the Dot-Com Dossier, a meticulous list of companies with projected investment dates and target entry/exit points. The full, detailed version, of course, remained securely within the Omni-7.
"Mr. Park," Min-jun stated, his voice devoid of any youthful excitement, purely analytical, "This is our roadmap for the next eight years. It details the precise timing for investments in the burgeoning internet sector. We will invest in every company on this list, at the specific times indicated, and divest at their projected peaks." He pointed to Amazon's early listing. "This company, for example, will become a global giant." Then to a 'Short-Term Flash': "This one, we enter quickly, ride the wave, and exit before its inevitable collapse."
Mr. Park leaned over the table, his eyes scanning the list. He saw names he didn't recognize, industries that barely existed in 1992. He also saw the familiar, precise formatting and the unnervingly accurate predictions, just like with Shin-A Manufacturing and Dell. There was no hesitation, no doubt, no questions of "how" or "why." The quiet boy before him had proven himself beyond any rational explanation. He was a force of nature, a living oracle.
He simply looked up, his gaze filled with absolute, unwavering faith. "When do we start, Min-jun-ah?" he asked, his voice steady. His trust was absolute, a testament to Min-jun's consistent perfection.
The chapter ended with Min-jun standing by the expansive window of his new luxury apartment. Below him, the lights of Seoul twinkled, a city unaware of the storms and revolutions brewing just beneath its surface. He had amassed significant wealth, established a robust legal entity in Future Mind Co., secured a loyal and utterly dedicated proxy in Mr. Park, and now possessed a perfect, almost infallible roadmap of the next fifteen years.
He was not a boy playing games with newfound power. He was a titan, calmly and meticulously laying the foundations of his empire, preparing to navigate the coming economic upheavals, and to shape the technological landscape. The world was about to experience the future, and it would do so on his terms, even if it didn't know he was the one subtly pulling the strings. The calm before the storm was absolute, and Min-jun was ready.