The reason Lee Hyun-woo’s second life is more enjoyable is because of the presence of Kim Ah-young.
(Long time no see, soju bombs?)
They hadn’t met for a while since Jeju Island.
Today, she suggested having a dinner with him first, so he gladly went out, and she updated him on her family news.
Specifically, it was news about 【Guseong Group】.
“I heard Dad and oppa talking, and they said a lot of server orders are coming in.”
“That’s good news.”
“I thought I should thank you on their behalf, so I asked to see you today. You advised oppa that the demand for servers would increase, didn’t you?”
“Ultimately, the credit lies with the person who made the decision, not the one who advised. Hyungnim changed directions well.”
“I don’t know about that, but seeing someone who likes to show off frequently mention you at the breakfast table, it seems like you’ll be meeting soon.”
That was a hint.
It implied that Kim Tae-hyun would contact him soon, so he should be prepared.
‘There’s not much to prepare for, though?’
One thing that came to mind was the MP3 player.
He had suggested an MP3 mobile phone in relation to that last time.
But, contrary to his expectations, the topic that came out of Kim Ah-young’s mouth was about 【Samjin Computer】.
“Dad keeps asking if he can continue acquiring shares of 【Samjin Computer】. Tying it with you.”
“Huh? With me?”
“It seems the chairman mentioned you at the New Year’s meeting. He said the reason for giving up on the new mobile phone he was preparing was because of high-speed internet. Dad brought up the topic after hearing that, and oppa proceeded with it.”
To think his story is frequently mentioned at the breakfast table of a major conglomerate.
‘If this goes well, I might become someone who influences 【Guseong】 too.’
It actually seemed that moment might come soon.
“But acquiring shares of other companies isn’t something that can be done with just money. People might think we’re being greedy for that company.”
“That’s true.”
“Even so, the fact that Dad brought it up means he sees a very high potential in 【Samjin Computer】, don’t you think? He even quietly asked me after dinner if I was also thinking of investing there.”
“So what did you say?”
“Of course, I said yes. I don’t know why, but it seems good to invest in places related to you. That’s why we expanded to portal sites in Japan and directly approached 【Alpha Cast】.”
There might be some trust underlying these investments, but it also seemed to be due to other feelings.
Feeling good for no reason, he also thought he shouldn’t get ahead of himself.
Why is Kim Tae-hyun eager to invest in places related to him if it’s not just those feelings?
‘Could it be that these two siblings evaluated all places related to me as having high investment value?’
That could be the case.
【Won Computer】, 【Alpha Cast】, and 【Samjin Computer】 were all doing very well or showing bright prospects even amid the current signs of an economic crisis.
‘Especially, the story that Kim Tae-hyun already knew about the existence of the MP3 player when we met last time…’
It could be interpreted as Kim Tae-hyun continuously observing his actions.
Therefore, it would also be understood that he intervened to ensure the success of those companies.
Thinking he might be under surveillance could have been upsetting, but Lee Hyun-woo didn’t feel that way at all.
‘Oh, if this goes well, I might be able to influence Kim Tae-hyun to do something.’
As someone who has experienced a previous life, Lee Hyun-woo knows well that if 【Guseong】 steps up, there’s almost nothing they can’t do in Korea.
Therefore, a desire to stimulate 【Guseong】’s changes from behind grew in his heart.
‘If that happens, I can definitely reduce the signs of the current economic crisis.’
Lee Hyun-woo couldn’t help but criticize the over-investment of conglomerates, one of the causes of the foreign exchange crisis.
They all jump into a field if they think it’s good.
Already, there were five companies in mobile communications, and many companies had started producing mobile phones.
Would they listen if someone warned them to control their desire?
But what if he subtly implanted a crisis message in 【Guseong】?
‘Other conglomerates might follow suit.’
On his way home after parting with Kim Ah-young, Lee Hyun-woo called first.
Thinking that if they already knew he wanted to meet, it would be better to strike first than to wait.
The next day after work.
Lee Hyun-woo met Kim Tae-hyun at the Seorabeol Hotel.
“CEO Lee, what’s the matter?”
“Hyungnim, it’s too business-like between us. Just call me by my name.”
“Oh, have I been doing that? Hyun-woo, is that okay?”
“It’s much more comfortable. Please continue like that. That way, I can comfortably ask various things.”
“Got it. So, what’s the matter?”
“As I just mentioned, I have something to ask.”
This time, Lee Hyun-woo judged that it was more important to get answers through questions than to take the initiative in the conversation with Kim Tae-hyun.
“The 【Bohan Group】 incident happened recently, right? What do you think will happen with them?”
“Huh? Why are you suddenly asking that?”
“Someone I know supplies to them.”
“Oh my, really? Are they close?”
“Yes, to be exact, it’s a friend’s father.”
It was a lie. But would Kim Tae-hyun check that far?
“That’s a big problem. It seems 【Bohan】 will end this time.”
“Oh no…”
“They must have traded with promissory notes, right?”
“Of course. Ah, I’m suddenly getting angry. How could they get so many loans?”
“Operating a business with loans is essential. It can’t be helped. But it was quite severe. By the way, Hyun-woo, what’s up with you? I thought you were someone who sees these things accurately.”
“I gave them prediction. But it is up to my friend’s father to follow it.”
“That’s true.”
Was his story plausible?
Or was it because it had nothing to do with him?
Kim Tae-hyun was not very interested in the current story.
It’s okay.
It was just the beginning stage to bring up the next story anyway.
Thinking this far, Lee Hyun-woo stoked the fire again.
“Then is that rumor true?”
“What rumor?”
“The rumor that many will go bankrupt one after another? I also heard that the next one would be 【Misam Group】.”
“What? Where did you hear that?”
“Yes, somehow, as I handle portal sites, I receive daily reports on the most frequent words. In the economic sector, 【Bohan Group】 was the most mentioned just before and right after its collapse. And recently, I’ve confirmed that 【Misam Group】 is the next.”
He was talking about big data in his own way, and Kim Tae-hyun’s eyes widened as soon as he heard that.
Although it was hard to verify the authenticity, Kim Tae-hyun could sense that his words included quite a bit of ‘accuracy’ by observing 【Jungle】 today.
This is because the daily search word rankings recently appeared on a new page.
As someone who has been very interested in 【Jungle】 lately, it became a habit for Kim Tae-hyun to check it whenever he had a chance.
There were even entertainment news among the top 10, but he could confirm search terms related to the 【Bohan Group】.
‘This guy has interesting ideas.’
Who would have thought to rank the public’s interest by using the frequency of search terms?
That’s why he can trust Lee Hyun-woo’s words.
“I guess I’ll have to look into it.”
“Yes. 【Bohan】 is ranked 14th in the business world, and 【Misam】 is ranked 26th. If these two groups are in danger, the impact on the Korean economy would be no joke.”
“Of course. Ah, that’s why my father always said that.”
“What did the chairman say?”
“Last year, when we were doing well, he suddenly said, ‘Why does everything look like a crisis to me?’”
【Guseong Group】’s head, Kim Sung-moo, once managed the group with the term ‘crisis management.’
Even when things were going well, he often mentioned ‘crisis.’
Then, what about when there was a real crisis?
Of course, he would say it was a crisis then too.
In other words, to Kim Sung-moo, it was always a crisis.
This could be seen as an intention to instill a sense of crisis in the group and keep the tension high.
‘I’ve read Chairman Kim Sung-moo’s autobiography several times, so wouldn’t I know that?’
Thinking this inside, Lee Hyun-woo quickly agreed.
“As expected! The chairman’s foresight is extraordinary. So, he predicted the current situation.”
“Well, you could say that.”
“I thought so. Based on that prediction, there must have been almost no transactions with 【Bohan Group】.”
Kim Tae-hyun answered with a chuckle.
He meant that Lee Hyun-woo could think whatever he wanted.
Then, Lee Hyun-woo made a fuss.
“Ah, if only I had known this earlier. Then my friend’s father wouldn’t have been in this mess…”
“…”
“I should have asked you sooner, hyungnim. Anyway, I don’t think it’s too late now. Since it’s already happened, we should prepare for the potential bankruptcy of 【Misam Group】. I don’t know how to thank you for confirming this.”
Lee Hyun-woo subtly insinuated that the bankruptcy risk of 【Misam Group】 was confirmed.
In reality, it was Lee Hyun-woo who mentioned it, not Kim Tae-hyun.
But by wrapping the whole context in 【Guseong Group】 head Kim Sung-moo’s ‘crisis management,’ he made it seem like Kim Tae-hyun confirmed it, regardless of the source of the information.
At the same time.
“I think I should tell my father first.”
“Huh? Your father?”
“Yes, he runs a dyeing business. But he was planning to ask 【Misam Trading】 for export. This needs to be stopped.”
“Oh, really? But shouldn’t you investigate more? You can’t just blindly trust the information that 【Misam】 is in danger…”
“Then could you look into it, hyungnim? 【Guseong Group】’s information network is the best in the country, isn’t it? It might be exaggerated, but I’ve heard that a few phone calls can get you information about other groups’ situations.”
He couldn’t deny it.
Last time, he had thoroughly investigated the financial situation and growth potential of 【Jungle Soft】, and he was still keeping an eye on them.
‘This guy must know that I do that.’
Kim Tae-hyun nodded willingly.
“There’s no reason I can’t. Alright, I’ll look into it and get back to you, Hyun-woo.”
“Yes, thank you.”
Anyway, if 【Misam Group】 was also in danger, it was something he needed to look into.
‘There must be a reason this guy wants me to find out.’
It seemed like a kind of message.
If there were many transactions with 【Misam】, be cautious in advance.
For some reason, from the expansion to Japan, adjusting the server production line, and even the MP3 mobile phone, Lee Hyun-woo seemed to want to help 【Guseong】.
Suddenly, Kim Tae-hyun’s eyes sparkled.
‘Is this because of Ah-young?’
