Kim Tae-hyun didn’t come home the night before.
It wasn’t because he drank too much, but because he was in the final stages of negotiations for a big deal.
As his son gradually found enjoyment in management, Kim Sung-moo wanted to support Kim Tae-hyun’s recent endeavors.
“But he’s even going to Japan to meet Son Jung-yi.”
Moreover, he felt uneasy about his daughter going alone with Lee Hyun-woo, so he thought this was really good timing.
Thinking this far, Kim Sung-moo called Kim Ah-young after finishing his meal.
He began to ask her questions that had been on his mind.
“Do you think Jungle will go public?”
“They said they wouldn’t.”
“Really?”
“They said not right now. Because even if they do an IPO, it won’t reflect Jungle’s high value properly…”
“……”
“If they do, they’ll probably go public in Japan first with Jungle Japan. Or maybe later in Hong Kong.”
“……!”
This was an entirely unexpected approach, and Kim Sung-moo’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Of course. If it’s Son Jung-yi, he would definitely push for the IPO.”
Though the success of Jungle Japan in Japan was crucial, Kim Sung-moo’s instinct told him that the portal site would become a perfect global information hub within a few years.
If that’s the case, the answer becomes very simple.
They could raise capital with Jungle Japan and use the funds to expand into places like Taiwan.
Hong Kong was also a decent stage for raising funds from the stock exchange.
“What if they go public simultaneously in Japan and Hong Kong?”
This could lead to tremendous growth.
Thinking this far, Kim Sung-moo quickly asked Kim Ah-young.
“What is the ownership structure like?”
“Excuse me?”
“Jungle Japan’s ownership structure. How much did you and your brother say you were investing?”
“My brother has 25%, and I have 9%.”
“That guy… What about Hyun-woo?”
“40%.”
He was reconfirming to jog his memory, but the more he heard, the more cunning Hyun-woo seemed.
With 40%, he was a major shareholder, and depending on the issuance of ‘new shares’ and ‘old shares,’ he could cash out as much as he wanted.
“I heard that Jungle Japan has already become a hot topic in Japan, so going public there won’t be difficult. Son Jung-yi said it would be valued with a market cap of at least 100 billion yen.”
“……”
It left him speechless.
100 billion yen is close to 1 trillion won in our currency.
40% of that would be 400 billion won.
“He’s a swindler.”
“……”
Kim Sung-moo couldn’t hold back his thoughts and blurted it out.
Normally, he wouldn’t do this, but seeing or hearing what Hyun-woo was up to always provoked him.
“Then, after Jungle Japan goes public, will they expand to Taiwan?”
“America will probably be first.”
“What? With what money?”
“Even there, since partnering with Alta Vista, investment inquiries have been pouring in.”
“……”
“Of course, Hyun-woo is considering delaying it a bit and using his own money this time. He said Jungle Music is doing quite well, and combining the profits from existing businesses, it shouldn’t be difficult… but I don’t know.”
After hearing this, Kim Sung-moo quickly said,
“Tell him I’ll invest in America.”
“What? Really?”
“Yes, expanding to America won’t be easy. But if they join hands with us, there shouldn’t be any big issues, so Hyun-woo won’t be able to refuse.”
Would that really be the case?
Kim Ah-young found it hard to fully agree with her father’s words, but she nodded, saying she would give it a try.
That early evening, Kim Ah-young visited Lee Hyun-woo again.
By now, there were no questions like “What brings you here?”
He simply welcomed her warmly, and they spent almost every evening together after work.
For dinner, they took turns eating what each of them liked.
Today, they were cutting steak together.
Suddenly, Lee Hyun-woo asked,
“By the way, do you really get off work at this time?”
“Executives don’t have such thing as clock out time.”
“Wow, that’s nice.”
“I’m just kidding. You actually believe that? In reality, we also have fixed work hours these days. Although it’s a hotel and needs a slightly different approach, I go to work at nine and leave at five. Many people wait for me to leave so they can leave without feeling awkward.”
“I see.”
Lee Hyun-woo answered, subtly realizing that Kim Ah-young had adjusted her work hours to match his.
He now liked her too.
However, what bothered him was her background.
“Dating her now would mean getting completely entangled with Guseong.”
So, as always, he steered the conversation toward business topics recently.
That way, they could maintain the feeling of a couple sharing their daily lives.
“Oh, by the way. Did I mention that we’re getting into the cloud business?”
“I read about it in an article. You’re really doing it. Why are you starting so many businesses this year?”
“Right? It just turned out that way.”
“Aren’t you launching an MP3 player soon too?”
“Yes, that’s actually the first. It’s next week. But the MP3 player isn’t our business.”
“You’re right. I’m confused.”
The MP3 player was a product of Alpha Cast.
However, since Lee Hyun-woo mentioned it so often, it felt like Jungle was launching it.
“So, after launching the MP3 player, you’ll go to Japan and then to America?”
“Probably. In between, we’ll start the cloud business. I’m giving you a heads-up, but for this business, we rented a five-story building and bought a massive amount of servers. Of course, they’re Guseong Electronics products. Our bank account balance is almost down to the floor.”
This was true.
The cloud service was a business that made electronic work environments of companies more efficient.
Even though Lee Jung-woo and Oh Min-woo had realized a new data storage technology, many servers were still needed.
“You don’t need to butter me up. You should do that to my father or brother.”
“By buttering you up, you’ll become our first customer.”
“Really?”
Kim Ah-young laughed brightly.
Although his approach was like that of a businessperson, she liked how Lee Hyun-woo depended on her.
“Alright, then I’ll be the first customer of your cloud service.”
“Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it, it’s my honor. I’ll inform the working-level staff, so let me know when you’re ready.”
“We see each other almost every day; there’s no need to inform separately. I’ll let you know as soon as we’re ready.”
“Okay, sure.”
Kim Ah-young felt her heart flutter again at Lee Hyun-woo’s remark about seeing each other almost every day.
It made her feel like they were a couple.
As things progressed this way, they could comfortably discuss each other’s schedules.
Still, Kim Ah-young made sure to confirm once.
“Wait, so I can come with you to America, right?”
She asked, thinking it would be much more convenient to see each other abroad, and Lee Hyun-woo nodded as if it were obvious.
“Of course. I promised to treat you to something delicious.”
“Oh, by the way, can we stop by the American branch for a moment?”
“The American branch? Where? New York? Or LA?”
“You know all the locations of our branches.”
“I just guessed they’d be in major cities.”
“Then you guessed right. We’ll stop by LA. And I might need your help there too.”
“My help? With what?”
“The cloud service I mentioned earlier. Can we offer it in America?”
“We’re planning to someday, but it feels like a big leap.”
Of course, she was carefully trying to bring up the next topic.
Her father, Kim Sung-moo, had said he wanted to invest in Jungle’s expansion into America.
However, while meeting Lee Hyun-woo, Kim Ah-young had figured out several things about him.
He disliked receiving things for free and was reluctant to accept investment from other capital for his own management philosophy.
Last time, he said he wouldn’t go public immediately to avoid interference.
Kim Ah-young realized that a cautious, natural approach was necessary.
Especially since if Jungle entered the American market and she rashly suggested partnering with Guseong Group’s branch, it could make their relationship awkward.
“Oh, really? Is it difficult?”
“Basically, we need sufficient internet speed. So, the order is portal sites and online shopping first. Then, when high-speed internet is installed, the next business can start.”
In other words, depending on the country and region, a high-speed internet environment was essential for music downloads and cloud business to take off.
“Of course, America is said to be starting to install it now, but unlike our country, the vast land make the work incredibly slow. It’ll probably take more time.”
“Right. Oh, I didn’t know that. Then I boasted prematurely?”
“Boasted prematurely?”
“Yes, I told my father about it. That Jungle would provide cloud services for an efficient internet-based work environment.”
“You already told him?”
“These days, he finds your stories very interesting. So, I explained what I heard from you in my own way. That the cloud service allows anyone to develop anything, anytime, anywhere.”
“Wow, I must do well for your reputation’s sake.”
Lee Hyun-woo’s eyes sparkled in response to Kim Ah-young’s words.
‘Originally, Guseong was also a company that provided cloud services.’
Specifically, Guseong System, where Kim Tae-hyun was a registered director, would handle the cloud service.
Guseong System was a company that built information systems based on databases.
This work would later transition to cloud services.
In other words, there was a high probability that Guseong would become Jungle’s competitor in the near future.
The problem was that Jungle had already entered the market, so they wouldn’t allow latecomers to challenge them easily.
‘Although it’s not a big problem, I feel a bit sorry because I owe them something.’
Somehow, he had formed ties with the chairman, successors, and daughters of Guseong Group.
He owed Guseong a huge debt, especially in terms of early advertising business, etc.
He was wondering how to repay it, but fortunately, the news that came out the next day announced that his moral debt had been eased.
“Guseong acquires Geukdong Gas!”
Although he didn’t explicitly tell them to acquire it, it was almost as if he had informed them through Nostradamus.
“Ah-young must already know that I’m Nostradamus, and it seemed like Kim Sung-moo and Kim Tae-hyun also figured it out last time.”
It was like playing a game of pretend, but whatever the case, as long as they reached the goal, it didn’t matter how they got there.
Since Guseong acquired Geukdong Gas, which Nostradamus Lee Hyun-woo had identified, they were bound to make a lot of money in gas energy in the future.
“This clears my moral debt.”
Moreover, he had also prevented Han Jung-soo’s family from fleeing abroad with hidden money, so it was a double win.
But on the same day, something else that Lee Hyun-woo had completely forgotten about exploded in the evening paper.
“Report: Searching for the Hidden Assets of a Former President”
Who would have thought that a seed planted not through Nostradamus but written by hand would bear fruit?
“At this rate, we might recover all the penalties from corrupt politicians and businessmen!”
After all, they were all thieves.
So, Lee Hyun-woo read the newspaper with a feeling of satisfaction, as if he were drinking a refreshing soda.
