At the same time that Son Jung-yi resolved to enter the high-speed internet business by the end of the year, Korea was launching a similar high-speed internet service.
Specifically, 【Samjin Computer】 rented cable lines to start the service.
Lee Hyun-woo’s phone was busy that day.
Following Son Jung-yi, Park Jin-yong, the chairman of 【Samjin Computer】, also called.
It’s always nerve-wracking after the first shovel hits the ground.
Even though he’s quite eccentric, Lee Hyun-woo could tell from Park Jin-yong’s voice that he was worried and said he would visit him, but Park Jin-yong decided to come in person.
Thus, in the afternoon, Chairman Park Jin-yong was welcomed into the CEO’s office of 【Jungle】.
“Wow, so this is what 【Jungle】 looks like?”
“You’ve only seen the CEO’s office…”
“No, I saw everything. I took the elevator from the underground parking lot, so I saw it all.”
“Our company’s elevators aren’t transparent. What did you see?”
“Well, instead of just talking, why don’t you show me around floor by floor? I’m curious to see how other places are set up.”
“Yes, yes. I’ll do that.”
Lee Hyun-woo smiled at the insistent Park Jin-yong and led him out the door.
Then he started showing him around floor by floor.
“There are four floors dedicated to the development department, and the top floor has the CEO’s office and conference rooms.”
“That’s right. But can you remember all that? Are you spying on us?”
“We’re trying to learn a bit.”
Chairman Park Jin-yong said something unexpected.
“You’re trying to learn?”
“Lately, your company looks very impressive. Other company CEOs keep praising you. They say you’re even selling search engines?”
“Ha ha… What does that have to do with the building?”
“It matters. The layout of a building reflects the thoughts of the management. Don’t you think?”
“Well, yes, that’s true.”
“You’ve allocated spacious areas for the developers. Just by looking at this, I can see how much you care for your subordinates.”
At the excessive praise, Lee Hyun-woo smirked and continued.
“Okay, let’s stop here and move downstairs.”
This time they were on the second floor, which was under construction.
“Huh? What are you building here?”
“We originally had servers on this entire floor, but after moving them, we thought of turning it into a game room.”
“What’s a game room?”
“As the name suggests, it’s a room to relieve stress through games. I think an era of online gaming might come.”
Even though online gaming was already possible, the graphics were not up to Lee Hyun-woo’s standards.
Although he didn’t particularly enjoy games in his previous life, there was a time he spent in PC bangs with his son.
Even though he hadn’t played many times, the memories from back then made the current games seem unimpressive.
“Ha ha, you seem like someone from the future.”
“Don’t you think so?”
“You’ve become quite a talker since the last time I saw you. Now, let’s check out the lobby.”
Going down another floor, the lobby of 【Jungle】 was intriguing.
There were artworks, sculptures, and paintings everywhere, which seemed to have cost quite a bit.
Sensing Park Jin-yong’s thoughts, Lee Hyun-woo spoke in a small voice.
“The sculptures and paintings aren’t expensive.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes, but we’ll replace them with better ones later. For now, this is all we can afford. Now, let me show you the basement, which I really want to show you.”
Park Jin-yong nodded and followed Lee Hyun-woo.
And as soon as he arrived at the basement, his eyes widened.
“What is this place?”
“What do you think? It’s a multipurpose space, mainly a staff lounge.”
At this very moment, a few employees were seen bowing to Lee Hyun-woo and then sitting back at their tables.
“So, it’s not exactly a cafe, but they use it like one. Is that thing hanging from the ceiling from a nightclub?”
“Yes, it’s for having fun with the staff. There’s also a karaoke room over there.”
“Wow, I take back what I said about you being from the future. You’re definitely someone from a strange land.”
“Ha ha ha, I’ll take that as a compliment.”
By now, had his anxiety disappeared?
Apparently not, as Park Jin-yong sat at a table, sipping coffee and sighing.
“Whew, I don’t know if this will work out. I always feel anxious when starting something new.”
“It’ll be fine.”
“I hope so. These days, computers aren’t selling well due to oversupply.”
“Every product has its ups and downs. Oh, if they’re not selling well, why don’t you sell them to us?”
“Huh? To you guys? How many do you need?”
“Well, how much do you have in stock?”
“We just produced ten thousand units recently.”
“Wow…”
This time, Lee Hyun-woo’s mouth dropped open.
Ten thousand units, even if they cost a million won each, would be worth ten billion won.
But because 【Samjin Computer】 wasn’t a budget brand, the minimum price would be around 1.5 million won.
“I’m sorry, I’ll have to cancel.”
“That won’t do.”
“Then I’ll run a promotion for you. But you’ll have to significantly lower the price.”
“How much?”
“You’ll have to think of it as making a few tens of thousands of won above cost.”
“Hey, that’s a bit too much.”
“Your warehouse must be full right now. If you hesitate, they’ll become worthless junk in no time.”
It was true.
With the rapid pace of technological development, new computers quickly become outdated.
“Anyway, you’re like a ghost. You know the industry inside out. And you’re only twenty-seven?”
“That was last year. I’m twenty-eight now.”
“Same difference.”
“Anyway, with 【Samjin】’s name value, they’ll sell. And there’s quite a demand during the new school year. Don’t hesitate, and sell them cheaply this time. You’ll make money from the internet.”
“Hmm…”
Originally, he didn’t come to discuss business.
He just wanted to calm his nerves, but he found a solution to a problem he couldn’t decide on.
And not just that, Lee Hyun-woo pulled out another card.
“Oh, and you’ll gain experience from providing high-speed internet service this time, right?”
“Of course. What about it?”
Lee Hyun-woo presented a gift to Park Jin-yong, who was replying indifferently.
“Accumulated experience can also be monetized. Should I tell you where to sell it?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“I think Japan is about to enter the high-speed internet business in a similar way.”
“Really? Where? Surely not 【NTC】?”
“No, they have phone lines. It’s 【Software Bank】.”
“What?”
Park Jin-yong asked again, eyes wide open.
“You mean you’re going to start a high-speed internet business in Japan?”
“Exactly. 【Software Bank】 will do it. Son Jung-yi said he would, and I decided to invest partially.”
“Uh…”
“Companies gain a lot by just reducing trial and error. High-tech companies sell their technology to less advanced ones.”
“Of course.”
“So, sell your experience to 【Software Bank】, including your development team. I’ll arrange it.”
“But you said you don’t have money, how are you investing there?”
“I don’t have much. But I’ll earn more in the future.”
“Wow, you’re quite the reckless guy.”
“Why do you say I have no plan? The total cost will be high, but the monthly expenses will be divided into N parts, right? Then I can pay the investment with the monthly earnings.”
In fact, that’s what he agreed on with Son Jung-yi.
Since 【Software Bank】 would take the lead, 【Jungle】’s investment stake was set at 15%.
Of course, that cost was not trivial, but they planned to conduct the same business in Japan as they did in Korea.
“When we launch the portal site in April, Japan will change. Internet-based companies will emerge, and we’ll sell our search engine by showing them our case in Korea.”
“You really have a sharp mind for a young guy.”
Before he knew it, a faint smile appeared on Park Jin-yong’s face.
Talking with Lee Hyun-woo had eased his anxiety.
Moreover, when he returned to his company, his anxiety had turned into anticipation.
“Chairman! You turned off your phone. Where have you been?”
“Just out for a stroll. Why?”
“There’s a record number of subscribers on the first day.”
“What?”
“The sales department reported that ten thousand people signed up today alone. It’s almost certain we’ll surpass 100,000 this month.”
He expected some sign-ups on the first day.
But ten thousand?
Even without counting the subscription fees, they secured 300 million won monthly.
If they surpassed 100,000 this month, it would be ten times that.
“Hmm, I didn’t expect this?”
Trying to act nonchalant, Park Jin-yong cleared his throat a few times and gave additional instructions.
“We need to speed up laying the network. People will complain about slow speeds later, won’t they?”
“Yes, we already gave that order.”
“Well done. Oh, and the computers piled up in the warehouse? Get rid of them with 【Jungle】.”
“What? What do you mean…”
“Don’t make me repeat myself. The unsold computers are just taking up space in the warehouse. If we delay, they’ll become outdated. So, sell them for a few tens of thousands of won profit. Isn’t that right?”
“Yes, but did 【Jungle】 agree to handle it?”
“Yes, I just met their CEO. They said they’d run a promotion or something, so accept their offer. If we sell all ten thousand units, I’ll treat you to a meal.”
“A few tens of thousands of won? That’s only about a hundred thousand…”
“Yes, that’s enough. If we sell ten thousand units at a million won each, that’s an immediate 10 billion won. We can use that to expand the network.”
Honestly, he had hesitated to sell those computers.
But holding onto them would cause cash flow problems.
It seemed better to reinvest the 10 billion won.
Of course, that was assuming they could sell all of them.
‘Can we even sell ten thousand units?’
That evening, Han Se-jin urgently sought out Lee Hyun-woo.
“CEO, did you say you’d run a promotion for 【Samjin Computer】?”
“Huh? I mentioned it in passing, but did they really contact us?”
“Yes, they said ten thousand units. They want to know if we can sell them for 990,000 won each.”
Lee Hyun-woo smiled and nodded.
“Go ahead. But that’s a lot of units. We probably won’t sell them all, right?”
“No? I’ll try my best!”
Han Se-jin closed his mouth with a determined look, as if saying, ‘What do you take me for?’
He was curious how she planned to handle ten thousand units.
The next day, the answer came.
【Samjin Computer Limited to One Thousand Units at 990,000 Won!】
She had reduced the number from ten thousand to a thousand, and Lee Hyun-woo smiled again.
‘If we sell a thousand, another thousand will come.’
When the quantity is small, people hurry to buy.
It seemed she was effectively stimulating that psychology.
She was probably using the experience and knowledge gained from selling 【One Computer】.
‘If we sell them all, should I ask her to buy me a meal?’
But someone else might ask for a meal first.
(Hyun-woo, my album comes out tomorrow.)
It was Kim Yun-sun.
