The first thing that comes out of Choi Sun-hwa’s mouth is his own name.
“Hey, Lee Hyun-woo.”
“Why?”
“You like Ah-young, don’t you?”
“……!”
And at the unexpected question, he held his glass and went into a ‘pause’ state.
“Geez, seeing you surprised, it must be true.”
There was a hint of disappointment in Choi Sun-hwa’s voice.
Was it just his imagination?
Maybe not, but it seemed better to make things clear.
Why? No matter how much he wanted to try new things in this life that he hadn’t done in his previous one, he didn’t want a complicated relationship.
“How did you know?”
“Geez, you don’t even try to deny it.”
“Maybe I’m the only one who likes her, so keep it a secret.”
“Secret, my foot. The rumor about you two going to Jeju Island is out.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, my friends who stayed at the 【Seorabeol Hotel】 in Jeju all saw you. In fact, they come from a family that makes big noises.”
“Ah…”
“Some of them are from the 【Guseong】 family. In other words, they’re Ah-young’s relatives.”
Hearing this, Lee Hyun-woo’s eyebrows twitched.
Because some of those people would likely be among those he would meet tomorrow.
Unaware of this, Choi Sun-hwa continued to give her advice.
“If you end up dating Ah-young, you’ll need to endure the provocations from those ‘brats’.”
“Brats?”
“Yeah, there are a lot of really annoying ones. Honestly, I used to like Tae-hyun oppa. So I attended various gatherings.”
It seems those ‘various gatherings’ refer to gatherings of the chaebol heirs.
“Then those ‘brats’ noticed my feelings and started to keep me in check.”
“Keeping you in check how?”
“Well, it’s hard to say. If I had to define it, it’s like a noble qualification test? They imply that a family like mine doesn’t fit in.”
“Geez, to me, you’re already like nobility. If they want more than that, do they want royalty?”
“I don’t know. After that, my feelings just plummeted. Oh, but there are some nice people among them. I hope you don’t generalize.”
“Generalize…”
Hearing her talk about ‘generalizing’, Lee Hyun-woo came up with an interesting plan.
“If they think they’re nobility or royalty, they need to be shown that the world has changed.”
“What?”
“I mean, to generalize them. To show that they’re no different from commoners.”
Always having a relaxed voice, this time he even had a playful smile.
So Choi Sun-hwa’s eyes trembled once again.
‘Geez, I had dibs first.’
Last year, when she saw him at the 【Seorabeol Hotel】, Choi Sun-hwa developed a liking for Lee Hyun-woo.
That liking grew every time they met, but at some point, she heard that Lee Hyun-woo was spending more time with Kim Ah-young.
Even though the 【Guseong】 family tried to avoid media exposure and kept a tight lid to prevent public exposure, they couldn’t completely restrain the free will and mouths of the chaebols.
When she heard rumors at various gatherings that the two were already dating, Choi Sun-hwa felt a pang of jealousy.
But there’s no way she could continue to covet another woman’s man.
Especially when one is a high school classmate and the other is a business partner.
“Whatever happens, I’m on your side.”
She could only say this while raising her glass.
“Thanks, whatever it is.”
“If you’re thankful, spill your heavenly secret.”
“Okay. I’ll discuss it with Team Leader Han soon.”
“About what?”
“Well, maybe a collaboration between 【Jungle】 and 【Aejeong Cosmetics】?”
He wasn’t sure how big 【Aejeong Group】 was around this time in his previous life, but the fact that it was doing well was encouraging.
Because for the butterfly effect to counter the foreign exchange crisis, there needed to be many unexpectedly successful companies like this.
‘This could be fun. I wonder how 【Aejeong Group】 will change.’
A unique smile spread across Lee Hyun-woo’s face.
The next day.
As soon as Lee Hyun-woo arrived at work, he heard Yoo Jin-young’s voice.
“CEO, there was a call from CEO Kwak Jin-wook of a place called 【Ghost】.”
【Ghost】 was an unfamiliar name.
He asked Yoo Jin-young with his expression,
“He explained that they created a Korean programming language.”
“Okay, did you write down the phone number?”
“Here it is.”
The butterfly effect of 【Jungle】 was influencing various places, but the most impacted were the information and communication industries, big and small.
Among them, the representatives of new venture companies often wanted to meet Lee Hyun-woo, and he naturally welcomed them with open arms.
Because Lee Hyun-woo, who wanted to bring the future forward, couldn’t refuse such people.
This time was no different.
Although he didn’t know what the Korean programming language was, he called and agreed to have lunch together when the other party said they would visit.
Soon after, Lee Hyun-woo met Kwak Jin-wook, the man with the big rock-like face.
“If developers encounter our Korean programming language, they’ll be amazed at its accessibility.”
“I’m not good with technical ‘details,’ so let me ask: does it mean programming in Korean instead of English?”
“That’s the ultimate goal.”
“Ultimate goal? So it’s not that yet?”
“Actually, it’s difficult to create despite having the capability. Most developers use existing programming languages, and they might not like it. They’ve learned these hard-earned languages the hard way.”
“Ah… so it’s like the opposition King Sejong faced when he created Hangul?”
“That’s a bit of an exaggeration.”
“When most of China was using Chinese characters, we created our own Hangul… We had to be mindful of China’s opinion and the vested interests of those using Chinese characters… It’s something like that?”
“Now that you mention it, it does sound similar. One thing’s for sure, if we create a ‘true’ Korean programming language, even children could easily access it.”
Lee Hyun-woo nodded.
Then he said,
“If I help you, can you make it?”
“What? Really?”
Kwak Jin-wook, the man with the big rock-like face, was so surprised that his mouth dropped open.
In this industry, Lee Hyun-woo was the ‘celebrity’ everyone wanted to meet.
Yesterday, he heard from the representative of 【Type Soft】, who created multimedia production tools, that:
- CEO Lee Hyun-woo is very down-to-earth. When I called, he immediately agreed to meet. He loves meeting people from our industry and asked for many introductions.
Upon hearing this, he didn’t hesitate to call today.
He didn’t have any ulterior motives like seeking help.
Just meeting the ‘celebrity’ was the goal.
But to receive such an offer at the first meeting?
“The purpose is good, isn’t it? Programming in Korean. Making it accessible for children. It could lead to a world with more developers. Don’t you think?”
“Of course, definitely.”
“Don’t listen to opposition for the sake of opposition. Just focus on the supportive words and go for it enthusiastically. I’ll help. Oh, and by help, I mean financial support too. Should I call it investment?”
“I’m not sure if I should accept this so readily.”
“Of course, you should. And once it’s developed, we’ll actively promote and sell the software through our 【Jungle】.”
His heart started to race even more.
“You’re making it impossible for me to refuse.”
“I might be going a bit too far for a first meeting, but it’s better to hurry with these things, isn’t it?”
“That is true.”
“Feel free to contact and visit whenever you face difficulties. If it’s a development issue, our developers will help. If it’s money, I can handle that.”
“Wow…”
“And if you’re a capable and passionate company representative like CEO Kwak, you’re always welcome. Please spread the word to your peers. Personally, I love meeting people from the information and communication industry.”
“Actually, yesterday at a drinking session with the representative of 【Type Soft】, Representative Geum, I heard about you and decided to call.”
“Is that so?”
“Besides me, there were other people there, and they might contact you as well…”
“That’s great.”
Listening to Lee Hyun-woo’s genuinely heartfelt voice, Kwak Jin-wook expressed his concern.
“People like me could keep taking up your time and money. Are you really okay with that?”
“Well, to be honest, I don’t like working outside of work hours. So please make sure to convey that part properly.”
“That’s not what I meant…”
“If people start flocking exponentially, we could create a meeting group. It would be nice for the representatives of information and communication companies to meet regularly. Don’t you think?”
“Oh? That sounds good.”
Somehow, they ended up talking about forming a meeting group.
‘That works out. I heard about those noble gatherings, but this seems much more comfortable.’
Should he define this as a commoner gathering then?
As they parted, Kwak Jin-wook enthusiastically said he would gather some people.
Lee Hyun-woo nodded and smiled brightly.
And this smile turned into a meaningful one as he headed to the 【Seorabeol Hotel】 after work.
If a commoner rises to stand shoulder to shoulder with or surpasses the nobility, that would also be an interesting world.
In his past life, the unfair starting points of silver spoons and dirt spoons increasingly prevented dragons from emerging from streams.
This time, he wanted to create a different world.
“At this rate, will I end up becoming the president? Hahaha.”
“Sorry, I’m late.”
He was a bit late due to traffic.
But Kim Ah-young, who was waiting at the entrance, didn’t blame him at all.
They walked side-by-side to the banquet hall.
The party seemed to have already started as people were holding food and drinks, engaged in conversations.
It looked like a middle-class party gathering in America.
In other words, it was another world.
At that moment, Kim Tae-hyun, who noticed Lee Hyun-woo, approached with a welcoming smile.
“Hyun-woo, you’re here?”
“Yes, hyung.”
“Come here. There’s someone I want to introduce to you first.”
With these words, he led Lee Hyun-woo to the person he had been spending the most time with lately.
“Hyun-woo, this is my uncle. Say hello.”
“Hello.”
“Ah, so you’re the famous Lee Hyun-woo.”
He was none other than Jang Jae-won, the youngest brother of the owner of 【Sejong Daily】.
The age difference was only eight years, so it wasn’t an exaggeration to say they were like brothers.
“Do you know you’ve become famous in America?”
“Me?”
“Yes, I’ve been seeing your name in the news frequently. Of course, along with 【Jungle】. Just today, an article in the Wall Street Journal mentioned that if 【Jungle】 enters the U.S. market, it would be a formidable competitor to 【Yaho】.”
Lee Hyun-woo smiled brightly.
Then he said,
“Then we must enter the market to show that we’re not just a competitor to 【Yaho】.”
A gleam appeared in Jang Jae-won’s eyes.
It was because the nuance was that his rival extends beyond【Yaho】.
Not only Jang Jae-won but many of the members of the 【Guseong】 family, who were paying attention to the conversation, looked at Lee Hyun-woo with expressions of varying significance.
