When Lee Hyun-woo mentions online shopping, Jang Yoo-chul immediately expresses admiration.
“Hyung, you’re really amazing. Your thoughts are different, and how can you push it forward right away? Truly a genius!”
“I wasn’t the first to think of this. This is what 【Amazones】 is doing. The auction site was also first done by 【E Base】.”
“Still, knowing something and actually starting a business are very different. But when I see you, it feels like you meticulously plan, push the business forward, and then succeed right away, and sometimes my heart races.”
“It’s not that much…”
Despite Jang Yoo-chul’s flattering compliments, Lee Hyun-woo remained calm.
‘If you lived your life again, you might be able to do this too.’
That was the extent of his thoughts. As he had made a plan, all that was left was to encourage the two people.
“Alright, from today, we’ll have to work hard until we revamp the website.”
“Does that mean I can work during the day now?”
“Yes, but I’ll help you at night, so show me how to manage that.”
“No thanks? Hyung, just do the work you were doing.”
“Hey, I don’t like seeing you overwork yourself.”
“You’re just talking like an old man. Even at this age, I can stay up for several nights. How many times have I done that while drinking and playing games?”
That was true.
Is it different when you’re young?
‘I keep having this trauma about overworking, so even seeing a bit of overwork gives me such a repulsion. This is a big problem.’
But it’s not a big issue.
If he plans to run a business in the future, having such thoughts might not be good for his health.
It’s good for him, and the same will apply to the many employees he will have someday.
‘What was bad for me is bad for others as well. So I should always keep in mind not to overwork people.’
A new resolve to become a kind employer was etched in Lee Hyun-woo’s heart.
But this resolve was short-lived.
He soon watched Lee Jung-woo and Jang Yoo-chul working on the webpage revamp and his eyes sparkled.
In fact, the two also wanted Lee Hyun-woo to meddle.
Technically, they were better, but they saw Lee Hyun-woo as having brilliant inspiration.
Not knowing that he was living life a second time, they could only think of it as genius.
“Hyung, no Eureka moment?”
“What are you talking about?”
“I think it’s about time you tell us an innovative idea.”
Lee Hyun-woo was dumbfounded by his younger brother’s words.
‘Even though I know the future, I’m a complete novice when it comes to coding. What does he expect from me?’
Honestly, what would he know about the technical stuff?
He could offer advice once the framework was somewhat complete…
“Just show me the page once it’s made. I didn’t even major in computer science, how would I know?”
“Ah, it’s because I didn’t show you the page. Here, take a look.”
Soon, an unconnected webpage came into view.
Just like the online auction, it was very crude.
This wasn’t a technical issue.
Since images took up a lot of space, there was a limit to realistically decorating the page.
Knowing roughly about this limited situation, Lee Hyun-woo praised his brother.
“Amazing. You really whipped this up?”
“Hey, this isn’t hard.”
“No, you two are definitely geniuses.”
“It’s an honor to hear that from a genius.”
“I don’t know about other things, but you guys are the best in our country at making stuff like this. At least, I think so.”
Speaking in a more serious tone, the expressions of his brother and Jang Yoo-chul showed pride.
“Think about it. You guys are engineers creating both 【E Base】 and 【Amazones】 at the same time. In the distant future, when our 【Jungle】 becomes the top company in the information and communication field, I will be the first to record your names in front of the headquarters.”
Praise can make even a whale dance.
As soon as Lee Hyun-woo finished speaking, his two friends, filled with enthusiasm, dove back into their work.
Watching them, Lee Hyun-woo smiled brightly.
‘But it’s the truth.’
Returning to the past, Lee Hyun-woo chose IT as his industry.
And since he was stepping into this field, shouldn’t his goal be at the ‘peak’?
If so, those two were indeed engineers laying the groundwork for the top IT industry.
As he entered the realm of imagination, a picture of the future started to form in his mind.
If online auctions and online shopping, the two main pillars, succeeded, numerous small IT startups would spring up.
Unlike Silicon Valley, in Korea, which was close to barren land, having many such places would be seen not as competitors but as collaborators expanding the market together.
As the numbers increase, they attract people’s attention, and in trend-sensitive Korea, numerous new IT startups would emerge.
This would ultimately expand the ecosystem and create demand.
Here, demand naturally refers to network-based businesses.
The first thing that comes to mind is high-speed internet like ADSL.
‘Currently, computers are connected to the internet via modems attached to telephone lines.’
This required two phone lines, and the slow speed was really inconvenient for Lee Hyun-woo, who had experienced the future.
Thus, to create an ecosystem where ‘connection’ is key, high-speed internet services must be provided immediately.
Moreover, speed could also bring about improvements to the crude pages being made by these two.
With such a blueprint in mind, there seemed to be a lot of work to be done.
‘I can’t continue thinking in such a haphazard manner, or else the tasks that need to be prioritized will get mixed up.’
Lee Hyun-woo left his brother’s room and moved to his own room.
Then he took out a notebook and wrote this title.
【Tasks for the Rapid Expansion of the IT Ecosystem】
No matter how much of a memory prodigy Lee Hyun-woo was, nothing could beat a record.
To execute the plan ahead, he had no choice but to draft a blueprint.
After finishing this, his pager beeped.
Without even checking, he guessed it was Kim Yoon-soo.
Looking at the pager, his guess was correct.
‘This man also proceeds quickly once he’s decided, so I wonder what he’s done this time.’
Thinking this, he made a call.
(We’ve secured the factory!)
He really was proceeding at high speed.
Shaking his head, he said,
“I’ll drop by tomorrow.”
The next day, Lee Hyun-woo set out with his brother’s friend, Jang Yoo-chul.
To prepare for the assembly PC factory with Kim Yoon-soo, they needed more expert help.
So they left the website management to Lee Jung-woo and went together to meet Kim Yoon-soo.
“It’s nice that it’s going so fast.”
“Shut up and let’s go.”
“Is it nearby?”
“Of course. I’ve failed in business a few times, but I know the place where the goods are made should be very close to where they are sold.”
The experience of a failure is important.
Lee Hyun-woo also experienced many trials and errors in his previous life, which is why he could confidently start a business.
“Is the kid you brought along your brother?”
“No. You were in such a hurry that I didn’t get a chance to introduce him. This is Jang Yoo-chul, the guy managing our website.”
“Hello?”
“Do you not eat well? Why are you so skinny?”
“Heh….”
In fact, Jang Yoo-chul was tall and skinny, and Lee Hyun-woo often had the same thought whenever he saw him.
But Jang Yoo-chul just chuckled and, matching their pace, said,
“I’ll check the location and then go look at some equipment.”
“Equipment?”
“Yes, don’t we need tools? We need to buy them according to the number of employees.”
“Ah, right.”
Assembling PCs is done by people.
Later, machines could do it, but for now, a small-scale assembly line could produce quite a lot in a day.
But tools and equipment were essential.
So, after confirming the location, they sent Jang Yoo-chul off, and Lee Hyun-woo stayed to talk with Kim Yoon-soo.
“It’s not as small as I thought.”
“I drew on my father’s inheritance. I told him it would be the last time.”
“It’s amazing he agreed?”
“I might be making it sound easy, but you have no idea how much chaos there was. Have you ever heard someone say they’d disown you?”
“I haven’t done anything to deserve that.”
“Damn it, yeah, I’ve always lived that way. Not well-educated, not good at anything, always being compared to my brother.”
“Why are you talking like this? Things will change. Completely, through this factory.”
“I hope so.”
As they chatted, Lee Hyun-woo looked around the space.
Although it was a bit small to implement the mid-sized assembly PC factories he had seen in his previous life, he judged that in terms of efficiency, it wasn’t bad.
The issue was skilled workers to assemble the PCs.
He thought it would take a month or two for his brother’s friends to get in sync with the newly hired people.
“What about the company name? Are you still going with 【One PC】?”
“No. 【One Computer】.”
“Computer instead of PC, that sounds better.”
“Our goal is to surpass 【Juhyun Computer】 within five years.”
“Ah….”
Lee Hyun-woo let out an exclamation.
He understood why Kim Yoon-soo mentioned 【Juhyun Computer】.
To be precise, he could picture it because he knew the success stages of 【Juhyun Computer】.
The president of 【Juhyun Computer】 started with a 120,000 won per month rental booth at Yongsan Electronics Market and achieved sales of about 350 billion won in 2000.
The following year, they were listed on KOSDAQ, creating a venture success story.
But it ended in bankruptcy.
From the year they were listed on KOSDAQ, they were pushed by the low-cost marketing of the American 【Dell’s Computer】, and coupled with the failure of their new building construction, unsuccessful entry into the laptop market, and excessive advertising costs, they went into the red and started to decline.
‘That was all in the previous life, so it might not turn out the same this time.’
Moreover, since Lee Hyun-woo had signed export contracts with 【Juhyun Computer】 in his trading company, he knew the process well enough to dominate the market at the right time.
“I’ll make it happen in three years, not five.”
“Thanks for saying that.”
“How could I not help when you’re trusting me and venturing into business?”
“Hey, to be honest, do you think I’d venture into business just trusting you? I’ve recently seen how well computers sell, so I’m sure it’s a promising industry. But since I lack sales skills, I thought it’d be good to have a stable supply source, so I teamed up with you.”
“That’s what we call an MOU.”
Saying this, Lee Hyun-woo smiled.
He suddenly recalled the blueprint he wrote in his notebook yesterday.
In fact, before 【Jungle】 could create an IT ecosystem, a necessary prerequisite existed.
That was affordable computers.
‘Please supply affordable computers that everyone can use.’
Additionally, he hoped that this would bring a new wave in the computer industry, making them the world’s largest computer-selling company.
