Mountain View, California
Under the blazing morning sun, a massive Cadillac Escalade came to a stop in front of a five-story building, slightly removed from the city center.
A moment later, the front passenger door opened, and a large-built Black man wearing sunglasses stepped out—it was Baucus, Seok-won's personal bodyguard.
As Baucus adjusted his black suit, the partially unbuttoned jacket briefly revealed the handgun concealed underneath.
Scanning the surroundings with a sharp gaze, he then opened the rear passenger door.
"We've arrived, boss."
"Thank you."
Stepping out of the car, Seok-won stood still for a moment, gazing up at the building before his eyes locked onto a plaque near the entrance that read:
[Netscape Communications.]
"Looks like they've moved to a decent place."
At least, it was a significant upgrade from their previous office.
"Let's head in."
With that, Seok-won strode forward.
Inside, Netscape founder Tom Harper's office was still cluttered with miscellaneous items.
Though the company had grown considerably—allowing them to move into a larger space—his daily routine of hunching over a keyboard remained unchanged.
At that very moment, Tom was deeply engrossed in his work, his face practically buried in the monitor. He wore jeans and a faded T-shirt featuring the American flag, seemingly oblivious to everything else.
A secretary knocked lightly and spoke.
"Sir, you have a visitor."
Without even glancing up, Tom waved her off.
"I'm busy. Tell them to come back later or have Bill meet them instead."
The secretary, unfazed—as if this was a common occurrence—replied smoothly.
"It's Mr. Park Seok-won, CEO of Eldorado Fund."
"Seok-won is here?"
"Yes."
Only then did Tom snap his head up and hurriedly say,
"Let him in—right away!"
"Understood."
A moment later, Seok-won stepped inside, dressed in a light linen jacket and a pair of Gucci Horsebit loafers.
"When did you get to the U.S.?"
Tom greeted him with a bright smile, standing up to shake his hand.
As they exchanged a warm handshake, Seok-won couldn't help but smile inwardly—despite becoming a billionaire, Tom was still the same as when they first met.
"I told you during our last call that I'd be coming to San Francisco to see you."
"That was today? I completely forgot—I've been so busy."
Tom scratched the back of his head as he spoke.
Glancing at the desk, Seok-won saw it was cluttered with all sorts of junk—half-eaten pizza boxes and cola cans scattered among the mess.
Tom, noticing his gaze, quickly explained with an embarrassed chuckle.
"Ha! I told them not to touch my desk when they clean. That's how it ended up like this—but I swear, it's not always this bad! Seriously!"
Then, he swept all the trash into the waste bin in one motion.
"What's keeping you so busy?"
"We've started developing version 3.0."
Seok-won's eyes widened in surprise.
"You've already started working on Netscape 3.0?"
"That's right."
"But version 2.0 was just released a few months ago. Shouldn't you focus on bug fixes and updates first?"
Tom, noticing Seok-won's puzzled expression, simply shrugged.
"Well, that's usually the case."
"So instead of releasing patches, you jumped straight into 3.0 development?"
"We're still working on fixing various bugs in 2.0—an update should be ready by next month at the latest."
Seok-won frowned slightly, still unconvinced.
"I know you hired more developers after going public, but wouldn't it be more efficient to focus on patches first and then move on to version 3.0?"
"That was the plan initially, but something urgent came up, and we had to speed things up."
A thought flashed through Seok-won's mind, making his face stiffen slightly.
"Is it because of Microsoft?"
"Yeah."
Tom didn't try to hide it and simply nodded.
"Our web browser technology is far ahead, but with Microsoft stepping in as a competitor, we can't just sit back and do nothing."
During their last call, Tom had exuded confidence, claiming he could take on Microsoft without a problem. But now that they were head-to-head, his nervousness was undeniable.
'Well, it's understandable. We're not talking about just any company—Microsoft is a software giant that dominates the PC operating system market with Windows.'
Not just in the future, but even now, Microsoft was known for swallowing up competitors or crushing them outright, reigning as the apex predator in the software industry.
'At this point, Microsoft isn't even worried about antitrust laws yet, and with Bill Gates still young and full of ambition, they're expanding their business without hesitation.'
Since Tom knew Microsoft just as well as Seok-won, it was only natural for him to be wary.
"You're not upset that we licensed the Mosaic patent to Microsoft, are you?"
Just in case, Seok-won asked, and Tom responded with a smile.
"Of course not. I already told you—it's fine. I'm not the type to say one thing and feel another. Besides, I believe Mosaic technology shouldn't be monopolized by a single company; it should be widely available."
"But if Microsoft starts using Mosaic technology, they could close the gap with Netscape much faster."
At that, Tom straightened his posture and put on a confident expression.
"If one company monopolizes the web browser market, it's easy to get complacent. Having a tough competitor will keep us on our toes—which is actually a good thing."
"You're brimming with confidence."
Only then did Seok-won, having cast aside his worries, smirk.
"Well, that's because we have the skills to back it up. If Microsoft rushes out a half-baked web browser, we'll crush it immediately with our vastly improved 3.0 version—just wait and see."
"I sure hope so."
"Hmph. Once version 3.0 is out, even you'll be shocked."
Tom scoffed in response, then suddenly realized something and hurriedly gestured toward a seat.
"Now that I think about it, we've been standing this whole time. Let's sit down."
"Yeah."
Nodding, Seok-won took a seat across from Tom on a brand-new sofa that showed no signs of use.
"I heard Microsoft proposed bundling Netscape with Windows?"
"Yeah, we even had three meetings to negotiate."
"That means the discussions got pretty serious. Why did you reject their offer?"
At that, Tom's expression hardened.
"They had other motives."
"What do you mean?"
"They must have thought I was an easy target. They demanded to see all our source code as a precondition—with completely ridiculous terms."
"The source code?"
"Exactly! Handing that over would be the same as stripping down to my underwear—why the hell would I do that?"
Even Seok-won thought Microsoft's demand for the source code was crossing the line.
"They really got greedy, huh."
Still fuming, Tom scowled deeply, unable to contain his frustration.
"They'd probably dissect Netscape's entire architecture, suck out all the valuable parts, then dump us and ship their own web browser with Windows instead."
It was a classic corporate power move—a big company extracting key technology from a smaller one, only to discard it afterward.
Microsoft had already pulled similar stunts multiple times before, so there was plenty of reason to be wary.
"They must've thought I was just some clueless nerd they could easily manipulate. Did they really think I'd fall for the same trick twice after what NCSA did to me?"
Tom had painful memories of working on Mosaic, the first web browser capable of displaying images, only to be cast aside by the NCSA research lab after his work was done.
That betrayal had left a deep scar, and Microsoft's attempt to use him in a similar way only fueled his hostility toward them.
"As long as Microsoft is committed to building its own browser, it's going to be a war, not a partnership. You did the right thing."
"That's exactly why I'm pushing hard to get version 3.0 out as soon as possible—to crush those bastards."
Clearly, Tom had been sharpening his blade for Microsoft as well.
"If Microsoft is serious about dominating the browser market, they'll do whatever it takes to grab the market share."
Seeing Seok-won's worried expression, Tom responded with equal seriousness.
"I know what I'm up against. It's going to be a tough fight, but in the end, they'll be the ones to surrender."
As he watched Tom's unwavering resolve, Seok-won leaned forward slightly and spoke in a low voice.
"What if they don't play fair?"
"What do you mean?"
Tom narrowed his eyes, sensing the weight behind Seok-won's words.
With a firm voice, Seok-won continued.
"What if Microsoft bundles its own web browser for free with Windows, which is practically a monopoly in operating systems?"
"…!"
Tom's pupils widened in shock, clearly caught off guard by the idea.
"But if they do that, they won't make any money from their browser. Why would they go that far?"
"If they're ruthlessly determined to steal Netscape's 90% market share, they might see it as a necessary sacrifice. For a company as big as Microsoft, giving up some short-term profit is nothing if it means crushing a competitor."
Netscape also had both a free and a paid version, but the vast majority of users downloaded the free one.
That was how Netscape became a multi-billion-dollar tech company, yet its annual revenue was only a few million dollars.
'The biggest reason the dot-com bubble eventually collapsed was because companies weren't making real money.'
Netscape wasn't immune to this fundamental weakness.
After a moment of serious thought, Tom lifted his head.
"You're right. If any company would pull something like that, it's Microsoft. But we have a free version too, so it's not like they can just steal the market. In the end, users will always choose the browser with the best features."
He spoke with absolute confidence.
But Seok-won, who already knew how the browser war would play out, felt a pang of sympathy for Tom.
'Fighting Microsoft—a company that owns the operating system itself—was never going to be a fair fight.'
It was a battle with a predetermined outcome, and there was no clear way to change it. Seok-won found himself unable to say anything.
At the same time, he finally solidified his decision to sell his Netscape shares, something he had been contemplating until the very last moment.
Clasping his hands together, Seok-won spoke calmly.
"I came to see you today because there's something I need to tell you."
"What is it? Go ahead."
"I've decided to sell my shares."
Tom's eyes widened in shock.
"What? Why? Don't tell me this is because of Microsoft."
"It's not that."
Seok-won shook his head.
"Then why are you selling?"
"The goal of venture capital is to invest in promising startups, help them grow, take them public, and cash out once the value has increased."
"Well, that's true, but…"
"Fortunately, we succeeded in taking the company public, and I've made more profit than I expected. More importantly, Netscape has reached a point where it can function perfectly without me, so I think it's time for me to step away."
His tone was measured and devoid of personal emotions, making it clear that this was a purely business-driven decision.
"I've made a fortune thanks to Netscape, and now I want to find the next jackpot—a new promising startup to invest in."
"I see…"
Tom couldn't find a strong argument to counter Seok-won's reasoning. Though he felt a pang of disappointment, he chose to respect his friend's decision.
"You seem pretty set on this… I'm sad to see you go, but I understand."
"Thanks for understanding."
"No, if anything, I should be the one thanking you. Without your help, I never would've made it this far."
Tom forced a smile.
The truth was, he wished Seok-won would remain by his side as a strong supporter and investor, but he couldn't selfishly try to hold him back.
After a brief silence, Seok-won looked at Tom with a serious expression.
"As your friend, let me give you some advice: Never underestimate Microsoft. And if the time comes when you realize you can't win, have the courage to walk away."
Tom looked at him, puzzled.
But Seok-won didn't elaborate.
"Just remember what I said."