CHAPTER 250: STARK (1)

A Wall Street Genius’s Final Investment Playbook

“Saint Sean, right?”

He smirked and held out his hand.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Aaron Stark.”

#250. Stark (1)

Meanwhile, Aaron Stark was on high alert, sensing a strange new current sweeping through Silicon Valley.

'Is this the start of another boom?'

Silicon Valley regularly experienced these "booms."

Back when Facebook was on the rise, the place was overflowing with people dreaming of becoming the next Zuckerberg, and terms like "user growth," "platform API," and "MAU" floated in the air of every café in Palo Alto as if they were oxygen.

Conversations like “I quit Google to join a new social startup” were exchanged multiple times a day.

This time, the boom was about healthcare AI.

Wherever you went, keywords like "medical imaging analysis," "custom diagnostic algorithms," and "telemedicine" were being thrown around.

Healthcare hackathons were springing up every weekend, and meetups and seminars on "AI + healthcare" were exploding in number.

'This isn’t necessarily a bad thing...'

What bothered Stark wasn’t the fever itself, but the spark that had ignited it all.

Now world-famous beyond Wall Street, the so-called "Orca," Ha Si-heon.

He had tried to ignore it, but it kept gnawing at him.

It was to the point where Ha Si-heon even started appearing in his dreams.

'There's no way that guy is just a pure philanthropist.'

He had a peculiar reputation for working "for the greater good," but at his core, Ha Si-heon was from Wall Street — a classic financier who would do anything for profit.

There was no doubt he was scheming something.

And on top of that...

'I didn’t expect Wall Street to move this fast...'

Usually, Wall Street only jumps in after a technology matures to some extent.

But this time, defying expectations, they were already stepping into the AI healthcare market. Moreover...

'Of all things, Next AI?'

Next AI was an exceptionally rare company in the industry that aimed to be "fully open source."

Among profit-obsessed corporations, it was the only one maintaining its purity.

Yet when Stark expressed interest and offered to invest, an unexpected response came back.

We’re sorry. We can’t accept your investment.

It was a rejection.

At that moment, a name flashed in his mind.

Ha Si-heon.

—Isn't he the guy who supposedly "smashed the Great Wall"?

—The guy who bankrupts entire national economies just by showing up?

As a joke, Stark threw out several memes, but Alex, the founder of Next AI, consistently feigned ignorance — suspiciously so.

Not once or twice, but more than ten times, always the same.

At this point, he could only be pretending.

There was no doubt Ha Si-heon was behind it.

'He's definitely trying to monopolize the AI market.'

Ha Si-heon's plan was obvious.

Not only would he scoop up AI startups, but he would also squeeze the open-source ecosystem dry.

So Stark took action.

He even bribed the manager of the hotel where Ha Si-heon had previously stayed, asking to be contacted if he ever returned.

And finally.

After a long wait, he appeared.

"Saint Si-heon?"

Ha Si-heon stopped in his tracks the moment he saw Stark.

'Of course, he'd be surprised.'

After all, the person he'd tried to block had come to him directly.

But Stark approached him without hesitation.

A burly bodyguard at Ha Si-heon’s side tried to stop Stark, but Ha Si-heon motioned him away.

"I've heard a lot about you. What a coincidence, meeting here like this."

"It’s no coincidence."

Stark spoke firmly.

He meant to emphasize that he had come on purpose, to apply pressure.

But Ha Si-heon met this with a relaxed smile.

"If it’s not a coincidence, then it’s an even more delightful encounter. What brings you here?"

"Well, I thought you'd know. How about a drink? I heard the cocktails here are quite good."

Stark deliberately suggested a public place rather than Ha Si-heon’s hotel room.

Ha Si-heon looked puzzled at first but soon agreed.

They arrived at the hotel bar.

Tonight, it seemed especially crowded.

'Because I made it that way.'

While waiting for Ha Si-heon, Stark had posted photos of the place on his social media.

In the business world, Stark was a star in his own right.

There was no way people nearby wouldn’t get curious seeing his post.

Murmur murmur.

As soon as the two entered, all eyes naturally turned to them.

Stark alone was already enough to draw attention, but together with Ha Si-heon, the combination itself was sensational.

'The rumors will spread quickly.'

In Silicon Valley, rumors travel fast.

That’s exactly why Stark chose such an open setting.

"Any seat will do, right?"

Stark plopped down right in the middle of the lounge.

Not a private room, nor a quiet corner — but the most open space.

And as soon as their drinks arrived, Stark wasted no time cutting to the chase.

"Are you the one who blocked my investment in Next AI?"

***

There were two people I never wanted to encounter in this life.

One was someone who would soon become this country's president, and the other was the man sitting in front of me now.

Both were emotional, loved controversy, and deliberately created drama to spread on social media — that was their common trait.

'Never thought he'd actually come to find me.'

—Missed it.

In hindsight, it was entirely predictable that this "drama addict" would come for me.

Lately, I feel like I've been making more mistakes.

'Well, I guess it can't be helped.'

I've been sleeping less than four hours a day, completely absorbed in Milo’s matters.

Anyway.

Since he had already appeared in front of me, I had to focus on dealing with Stark for now.

By the time I reached that thought.

He deliberately chose a spot with a big audience and then asked this question.

“Are you the one who blocked my investment in Next AI?”

However, despite the words, there was no anger visible on Stark’s face; instead, there was even a mischievous smile playing on his lips.

He seemed to be enjoying the murmurs of the people eavesdropping on our conversation.

'Is he trying to deliberately spread rumors?'

Stark’s intention was clear.

He wanted to spread the rumor that “Ha Si-heon blocked Stark’s AI investment.”

If that happened, people would start asking, “Why on earth?” or “Why did Ha Si-heon specifically block Stark?” — fueling endless, pointless controversy.

In that process, it was very likely I’d naturally be painted as a “suspicious manipulator working behind the scenes.”

'Tiresome.'

Normally, this kind of public opinion battle was my specialty, and I had confidence in handling it.

But honestly, right now, it just felt bothersome.

To be even more honest, it was downright annoying.

I had a mountain of work to do, and I wasn’t in the mood to play along with his little drama.

“I can’t think of anyone but you who would do it.”

However, Stark clearly had no intention of ending things quietly.

If anything, there was a hint of excitement in his eyes.

As if he was looking forward to a new conflict, an interesting drama, and another topic to post on social media.

'If I deny it here, I’ll be giving him exactly what he wants.'

If I were to deny it, he would immediately run around claiming, “Ha Si-heon is definitely hiding something,” spreading all sorts of wild rumors.

I had to block that possibility right from the start.

The most certain way to do that in this situation...

“Yes, that’s right. I strongly advised them to exclude ‘Stark at all costs.’”

Was simply to admit it.

For a moment, Stark was at a loss for words.

The mischievous smile on his lips vanished completely.

Seems he didn’t expect that.

But he quickly pulled himself together and prepared his next question.

“Why did you exclude me?”

“Before that, let me ask you something in return. Do you have a compelling reason why you must participate in Next AI?”

I answered his question with another question, and after hesitating briefly, he opened his mouth.

“For years, I have consistently emphasized the dangers of AI. If not properly controlled, artificial intelligence can bring catastrophic disasters to humanity. AI is an even more dangerous technology than nuclear weapons. The idea that we can control it as we please is pure illusion. It’s no different from humans summoning a demon.”

Stark had always highlighted the dangers of AI in an extreme manner.

Almost like he was predicting a machine takeover of humanity, straight out of a sci-fi novel.

Well, stirring up public curiosity with such outrageous stories is a kind of talent too, I guess.

“But right now, this extremely dangerous technology is concentrated in the hands of a few big tech companies. Technology more terrifying than nuclear weapons, mind you. They are so obsessed with profits that they ignore social and ethical risks and safety measures. Even now, they won’t disclose what kind of research they’re doing or what safety measures they have in place. Everything is hidden under the excuse of trade secrets.”

After a lengthy rant about the dangers of big tech companies, he finally concluded.

“We must stop this. This technology should be democratized and placed in the hands of everyone, with strict safety measures to ensure it never escapes control. It must be a technology for all humanity, not for a specific group. That’s why open-source organizations like Next AI need to be at the center.”

It was a classic Stark-style answer.

As a “non-typical” leader, he always loved to boast grand ambitions and responsibilities that supposedly encompassed all of humanity.

'We really don’t get along.'

I’ve never liked people who spin such grandiose fantasies. But...

There was no need to argue here.

Doing so would only feed the drama Stark loved so much.

There was a much better approach in times like this.

“Yes. I also believe that AI is an extremely dangerous technology.”

Instead, I chose to agree completely.

'With this, no drama can form.'

Drama always requires conflict.

And for conflict to arise, there needs to be a clash with someone holding an opposing stance.

But if I agreed like this?

That entire conflict structure wouldn’t exist.

I deliberately sided with his opinion.

But why stop there?

“We must be extremely cautious with AI. It’s no different from Pandora’s box and could potentially bring tremendous disaster to all of humanity. In the worst-case scenario, I think it could even push our species to the brink of extinction.”

I went even further.

“People don’t realize just how fast AI is advancing. We think we can control it, but in ten years, no — in five years, it could surpass and rule over us. To put it extremely, in five years they might treat us as pets. We can’t even rule out the possibility of an immortal dictator arising for humanity.”

In fact, all of this was basically what Stark himself had said.

Either things he had already said, or things he would say in the future.

So, I was simply repeating his words from before my regression.

“It’s no laughing matter. Imagine creating an AI designed to block spam emails, but it decides the most efficient way is to eliminate humans altogether? It might conclude that completely erasing the source of spam — humanity — is the perfect solution.”

“Even if we could control it, it would still be problematic. Ultimately, big tech would hold that control. And if they monopolize AI, gain godlike power, and establish a dictatorship?”

“It may sound absurd, but imagine if big tech executives are the first to upgrade themselves using brain-computer interface technologies, becoming cyborgs or transhumans. Picture them ruling as the elite over the rest of humanity.”

At this endless string of nonsense, Stark couldn’t hide his bewilderment.

He seemed quite shocked and made no effort to conceal it.

“Truly... incredible. I never thought there would be someone who thinks so identically to me in this world...”

Muttering that, Stark fell silent and sank into deep thought.

A very long silence.

He stayed silent for nearly seven minutes.

Regardless of whether I was uncomfortable or not, he stayed lost in thought until he was satisfied.

Finally, as if he had come to a conclusion, he looked at me and asked.

“In that case, there’s no reason to exclude me, is there? What you just said is exactly what I’ve been arguing for all this time. Honestly... it’s eerily identical.”

He seemed to have given up on confronting me. But at the same time, a new problem arose.

'Is he trying to become an ally now?'

As I intended, the conflict had collapsed.

But now, there was suddenly an air of “Join me as my comrade.”

Of course, I couldn’t allow that.

I had no intention whatsoever of getting on the same boat as him.

“I have always considered AI safety to be of utmost importance. I believe I fully deserve to participate in Next AI as well, don’t you think?”

In response to Stark’s question, I gave a bitter smile.

“I’m sorry, but that’s not possible.”

At my firm reply, Stark tilted his head.

“Why on earth...?”

“You’ve already explained the reason yourself.”

“I did?”

“Yes. Didn’t you insist that ‘a powerful AI must never be monopolized by a few big tech companies’?”

After saying that, I looked him straight in the eye and declared.