Past Life Returner

Kim Cheong-Soo almost turned his head toward Jonathan but managed to barely turn toward the founders of Googol and Facenote. From the way they were sitting side by side at the witness stand, Kim Cheong-Soo realized the intent of Jack Benedict.

He responded, “Ethan is a freelancer outside of the company. We requested him as a consult on important contracts, and the Jonathan Group has relied heavily on his advice.”

“So you are saying he is not John Doe, right?” asked Jack Benedict.

He shook his head. “To my knowledge, John Doe is just an angel investor who provided initial funds when the headquarters of the Group was launched in 1997…”

Jack Benedict interrupted Kim Cheong-Soo, “Please answer with a simple yes or no. Is it difficult for you to answer like that?”

“As far as I know, John Doe is not Ethan.”

“Okay, then…”

Kim Cheong-Soo added, “Ending like this will cause a lot of confusion and misunderstanding. You have pointed out that Ethan is like a ghost. Although he doesn’t work for Jonathan Group, he is like our co-worker. We have many freelancers like him.”

“Okay, then I will ask Mr. Zuckerberg.”

Jack Benedict turned to the founder of Facenote. “Have you met a guy named Ethan? If so, when, where, and in what context did you meet him?”

“It was in Las Vegas in 2008, sir. Ethan was a legal representative for the Jonathan Group, and I was a contracting party.”

“Is it correct to say that Ethan had the right to handle all legal matters for the Jonathan Group?” asked the congressman.

“In terms of funding for Facenote… yes, that is right…”

“Have you met Ethan again since then?”

“No.”

“Then, I will ask the same question, Mr. Larry. Do you remember your first time meeting with Ethan?” Jack Benedict now asked a question to one of the founders of Googol.

“Yes, sir. Ethan was the first man who contacted me from the Jonathan Group.”

“How did he introduce himself?”

“He said he was assisting the Jonathan Group’s work from outside of the company. We first met at the headquarters, but the specific investment agreement was discussed with the King of Hell, Jonathan Hunter.”

“Have you met Ethan after that?”

“Not until after the successful IPO in 2003.”

“What was that for?”

“We had a small celebration together.”

“Why?”

“There are many people who have forgotten that moment just by looking at us right now. However, there were many negative perspectives toward IPO back then.”

“Then, many people would have seen Ethan at that celebration.”

“No. It was only between Mr. Hunter, Ethan, and me.”

“How did Mr. Hunter and Ethan’s relationship look that day?”

“We were so drunk that day, sir. We were enjoying our sense of accomplishment. We were all equal on that day like friends.”

“Let me change the question, Mr. Larry.”

“Yes, go ahead.”

Jack Benedict continued as he held up his phone, “Let’s say I move with this APhone. Can Googol track where I’m going? I’m asking if Googol can track my location.”

The founder of Googol was bewildered by the sudden change in topic.

“I cannot answer that without excluding specific circumstances, sir. Because among the services you use, there are…”

“Whether it’s Barry’s APhone or Ilsung’s Galaxy, many American citizens, including myself, use Googol’s services.”

Jack Benedict instantly opened his email account on the spot.

“This is Googol’s Gmail.”

Then, Jack Benedict pointed out the apps installed on the smartphone one by one, including the world’s largest video platform.

“I use applications that are integrated with Googol’s Gmail, Mr. Larry. I will ask you again. Can Googol track my location?”

The entrepreneur responded, “If you have agreed to use your location in some services…”

“So you mean the window that pops up when you link your Google account, right?” asked Jack Benedict.

“Yes.”

“It would be harder to find people who didn’t check that box than someone who did. I probably have agreed with it too. That’s normal, Mr. Larry.”

“Sorry, sir. But in specific ways…”

“I’m talking about the general case right now. Googol can track users’ locations, even without implanting microchips like the registered Awakened. Then, let’s move on to the next question. If you search for ‘hero’ on Googol, the logo of Jonathan Finance Investment Group comes up first on Googol Images. We can check that right now. Not the World Awakened Association, but the logo of Jonathan Group’s logo.”

“If you are asking if we interfere with specific search results, we do not. Search results are created according to priority based on the aggregate information generated by users. However, the priority I’m talking about now refers to the convenience, relevance, and connectedness of overall users, not specific individuals or companies.”

“Then why do you think the logo of Jonathan Investment Finance Group comes up when you search ‘hero?’”

“That is…”

“Do you have a verification system for ensuring that search results are generated correctly? Please answer yes or no.”

“Yes.”

“What is it like?”

“It is done by external evaluators. It would take a considerable amount of time to explain the verification system in detail right now.”

“Are you saying that human factors are involved?” asked the congressman.

“To simplify the statement…”

“Please answer yes or no.”

“Yes.”

“Does Googol collect user information? Names, addresses, emails, records, search history, IP addresses, mobile identification codes, GPS signals, and Wi-Fi signals.”

“If you create a Googol account…”

“Mr. Larry.”

“Yes. Information is collected in some cases. However, we own an accurate system in place for handling this information, sir.”

“Is Googol independent from Jonathan Investment Finance Group? I could reword and ask you more bluntly. Can the Jonathan Group replace the current Googol’s CEO and management at the next shareholders’ meeting?”

“...Yes.”

Jack Benedict’s question was directed at the young founder of Facenote. “Mr. Zuckerberg.”

The founder of Facenote quickly put down the water bottle he was holding as his name was called.

“Yes, sir.”

“The current President has stopped investigating Facenote, but I cannot help but bring the incident up again. During the election, there were 5.6 million election s on former Secretary of State Clinton on Facenote. In contrast, the number of current President’s election s on Facenote didn’t even reach sixty thousand. Therefore, many great Americans are still concerned that Facenote has a political bias.”

“No, sir. We absolutely did not discriminate against either one of them.”

“But the data shows a ninety-fold difference. At the time, many Republican supporters encountered the former Secretary of State’s face and slogans through Facenote’s s. Isn’t it valid to suspect that Facenote is being used as a political tool? That’s why I am asking again.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Is Facenote independent from Jonathan Group?”

Cold sweat ran down on the young founder of Facenote’s face as he said, “No.”

“The Jonathan Investment Finance Group is the largest shareholder in some companies and a major shareholder in others. However, the reason why we notified Googol and Facenote to attend among multiple companies is because of the commonalities between them.”

“...”

“First is their influence on society, and the second is the fact that the Jonathan Group has directly invested in both places. Jonathan Group boldly invested in Googol when it was one of the many venture companies and acquired Facenote before it went public, at a much higher price than its existing worth at the moment. It was as if they foresaw the current state of Googol and Facenote. Ethan was the one who carried out these investments, and he was the core figure with great achievements in Jonathan Group.”

“...”

“The amount of money Ethan brought to Jonathan Group is an amount that ordinary people can’t even imagine. I believe Ethan brought more than just money to the group, but Ethan is still an external member, isn’t he?” Jack Benedict was now asking Kim Cheong-Soo.

Kim Cheong-Soo responded, “That is right.”

“I have looked into Ethan’s tax records and realized Jonathan Group has never paid him anything despite his hard work. Mr. Kim even said he was like a co-worker to the employees in the group. Surprisingly, he had nothing, from housing to assets. I couldn’t believe it even after checking it with my eyes. Isn’t Ethan a contributor and co-worker to Jonathan Group?”

“I have already mentioned, but…”

“Or is he in a position where he doesn’t need to receive separate performance payments from the group? I can still think of only one person who could be like that.”

Jack Benedict finished his sentence with a full stop. Then, he continued, “Yes, John Doe.”

***

- Mary: Are you going to let this bastard keep going on with this?

Yeon-Hee’s voice echoed in Jonathan’s head, but he didn’t answer.

‘Although he is talking about Ethan and John Doe…’

Jonathan could see Jack Benedict’s real intention. If he hadn’t been able to suppress his anger and hadn’t learned anything from Mary, then he would have been fooled by him or smacked the table in fury.

Ethan and John Doe were merely instruments for Jack Benedict. His message had already been conveyed. Basically, the Jonathan Group posed a threat, Googol and Facenote were only the tip of the iceberg, and with their complete financial might, they could cause even greater harm to the public.

That was what he was implicitly telling the public, just as they wanted to hear by attracting public support and highlighting the closed nature of Jonathan Group. His ultimate goal was to pass the seizure and search. Even if he succeeded in that, then he would be in the spotlight as a candidate for the next presidential election.

If he actually made it to the White House and received an invitation to the club, what expression would he show then? Jonathan couldn’t help but smirk inwardly, imagining it.

Anyway, since he started talking about it, he will try to check our morality now.

There was nothing better to discredit Jonathan Group’s morality than the 2008 subprime crisis. Although Rothschild took the blame, the fact that Jonathan Group caused the worst-case scenario of the crisis remained the same.

Jonathan was determined to end the hearing before politicians brought it up, and he thought this was the perfect time to cover up the filth by drawing the attention that had been diverted at John Doe toward himself and providing a bigger issue for those who mentioned the dismantling of the Jonathan Group.

It was at this moment that he ordered the President of the United States to pass the hearing!

“John Doe cannot be Ethan.”

Jonathan’s voice echoed heavily throughout the hall. He appeared to be firm which had been shown when entering the hearing.

“Ethan is my old friend, and I swear we give each other full support. Even if it is not recorded in the computers, it doesn’t mean that it didn’t happen.”

The reporters who had an intuition of breaking news zoomed into Jonathan’s face.

“I will make it clear here. John Doe is the name of my borrowed-name account.”

Finally, the sound of people pressing camera shutters burst out. Even though it was a live broadcast, the members of the assembly could not hide their shock. Some even moaned. This was also true for Jack, the assemblyman who had been leading the hearing.

- Mary: Are you fucking crazy? What is wrong with you? Do you even know what you are talking about?

“I, Jonathan Hunter, am John Doe.”

Jonathan put strength into his voice. When he stood up, a crimson blaze was already glaring from his entire body.

“So now I ask you all. How are you going to put me in jail?”