The Next Morning.
“I have something to say.”
Lee Hyun-woo readily accepted Oh Min-woo’s request for a private meeting and shared a cup of coffee in the CEO’s office.
“Go ahead.”
“It’s about recruiting talent as you mentioned in the last meeting. You wanted us to bring in experts from other universities.”
“Already got one?”
“No, I wanted to know the exact criteria. Can we recruit from foreign universities?”
“Foreign universities?”
“Yes, specifically Stanford University.”
“Sure. If it’s there, there’s definitely a lot of talent.”
“No matter how many there are, they’re all below me, but I found two usable ones.”
There’s no developer as great as him under the sky.
Lee Hyun-woo chuckled while looking at the self-proclaimed prince of arrogance, Oh Min-woo.
Then he remembered.
“Are you talking about the two people you met when you went to the U.S. last time?”
“Oh? You remember.”
“Of course, I remember.”
At that time, he was so surprised when he mentioned the founder of 【Single】.
After saying this to himself, Lee Hyun-woo quickly asked.
“Are you really going to recruit those two people?”
“Is it not possible?”
“No, I just thought it might not be doable.”
“Sometimes, you underestimate my abilities, CEO.”
“……”
“That’s why it’s good. It triggers my competitive spirit.”
Lee Hyun-woo looked at him as if to say, ‘Go ahead and try if you can.’
“Alright, I got it.”
“Wow, you speak as if it’s impossible. I’ll definitely bring them.”
“Sure, go ahead.”
“Oh, and one more thing.”
“Are there other talents to recruit?”
“No, it’s just that the two guys I mentioned earlier are planning a P2P interactive program. I’m not sure if they’ve made progress, but I might have triggered them to start yesterday.”
Hearing this, Lee Hyun-woo’s eyes widened even more as he asked again.
“P2P?”
“Yes, it’s a feature that allows file transfers between individuals.”
“I think I get it. But if that gets developed, it will cause various problems.”
“Indeed. Although I’m not sure about other things, it would enable the free exchange of money-making files like MP3 files or game files.”
Lee Hyun-woo nodded.
At the same time, he thought about another butterfly effect.
‘Good things might come faster, but there’s no way the side effects won’t come sooner.’
It had been well over a year since Lee Hyun-woo returned.
Naturally, the world was changing as he meddled here and there, and since he had the most impact in the IT field, it was inevitable that something like P2P would emerge.
“Those people must have shifted their focus from researching search engines.”
“They combined it. Exchanging files isn’t something that only friends can do. I mean, if they really wanted to do it among friends, they could use email. Nowadays, our 【Jungle】 email can handle quite large files.”
This was something that could be managed by separately managing the server building.
Until now, email storage was limited, so users had to delete emails frequently, but 【Jungle】 had significantly increased the storage capacity.
Naturally, netizens who first encountered other portal sites eventually made 【Jungle】 their final destination.
“People are already sharing MP3 files through email. We can’t capture 100% of it, and it’s hard to block it all.”
Regarding this, Oh Min-woo worked diligently.
He thoroughly blocked sharing on blogs and cafes and did his best to filter out free MP3 files through search term filtering.
But could they prevent acquaintances from exchanging MP3s?
Of course, it was impossible.
“But if P2P emerges, the story changes.”
“It does.”
“That’s why we must recruit those two guys.”
“You don’t mean to stop them from developing P2P, right?”
“Of course not. After recruiting them, we’re going to attach our search engine to the P2P they’re developing. And then filter out the sharing of free MP3s.”
Of course, this method wasn’t perfect, but it could be reduced through continuous efforts.
With an unavoidable expression, Lee Hyun-woo nodded and said,
“Alright, give it a try.”
“Yes, CEO.”
As he watched Oh Min-woo walk out after saying this, Lee Hyun-woo wondered.
Will those two people, who were the founders of 【Single】, join the ship called 【Jungle】?
‘I have a feeling they might leave at some point even if they join.’
Honestly, he felt they might not join in the first place.
Looking at their previous life’s track record, it was clear.
Those two liked to play in their own world.
In other words, if they were restricted by someone else’s world, they would get frustrated and leave.
To the extent that they might not even start if they felt it would be stifling.
‘What if we guarantee them freedom?’
It wouldn’t be easy, but a compromise might be possible.
Looking at how the free spirit Oh Min-woo adapted to 【Jungle】 in his own way, it was evident.
‘Let’s wait and see the results Min-woo brings.’
It didn’t take long for Oh Min-woo to come back.
And judging by his expression, it was clear.
“Those guys said no.”
As expected, they refused to join.
“They said it’s better to be the head of a snake than the tail of a dragon. Damn it! Go ahead and make P2P for the rest of your life.”
It seemed like he was cursing them, but it only brought a chuckle to Lee Hyun-woo’s face.
“Then let’s do this.”
“How?”
“I think everyone has their style. They like to play in their own world. So, let’s give them unlimited freedom.”
“What if they still refuse?”
“Then there’s nothing we can do. At least we can make them use our search engine or invest directly.”
“So, you mean let’s make sure we can control P2P somehow.”
“Yes, exactly. If P2P is created by their hands, it will continue to evolve in stages, right? And at the same time, standards will be set.”
“Are you hoping that subsequent P2Ps will adopt those standards?”
“If it doesn’t work, we can solve it through the law. Don’t you think?”
“Of course. I understand. I’ll suggest it as you said, CEO.”
“One more thing.”
“Yes, go ahead.”
“What about you?”
“Me?”
“Doesn’t the offer to develop freely as they please appeal to you? Don’t you want to try it?”
Lee Hyun-woo was curious about this.
So much so that he considered letting Oh Min-woo be independent in this building and not interfering with him at all if he wanted.
“I like it as it is now.”
“Huh? Really?”
“Yes, to be honest, I can do almost whatever I want.”
“Even with the restricted working hours?”
“That’s why you made a medical room and fitness room for us.”
“……”
He was momentarily speechless.
‘Is it because he’s grateful for that?’
That wasn’t it.
“I’m curious. What will be next? There’s a café and nightclub in the basement, a medical room, and a fitness room on the second floor.”
“It’s hard to create more in this building.”
“Then do you mean you’ll move to a bigger building and make something?”
“Well, maybe.”
He didn’t have any specific plans for creating something, but he was considering expansion.
After all, if they kept hiring as they were now, the place would become overcrowded.
“By the way, I hope there will be more female employees.”
“We already have female employees.”
“But most of them are in External Cooperation team and they’re not in this building.”
“True. But I’ll hire two nurses for the medical room to balance the gender ratio, and I’ll also hire trainers for the fitness room.”
“Does that mean you’ll hire female trainers too?”
“I mean, there’s gonna be male trainers too.”
“But, you’ll also hire female trainers. Right?”
“Uh… naturally… our female employees also need health management.”
The last part seemed not to be heard well.
Maybe he was already imagining getting trained by a female trainer.
‘Are young guys more interested in female trainers?’
In that case, he thought it might be better to hire more female trainers to motivate the employees’ to go to fitness room.
The next day, Oh Min-woo came again.
“It feels like I’m only talking to you these days.”
“Because of me, the company is changing. I even triggered the creation of the medical room and fitness room.”
It’s true.
“Anyway, the reason I came is because I concluded with those two guys yesterday.”
“Concluded?”
“To be exact, you are the one who need to conclude it, CEO. They said they’ll visit you next month in the U.S. and decide whether to join our company.”
“So, it’s like I’m being interviewed by them.”
“……? I didn’t think of it that way.”
“Then tell them again today. Our company is interested in them, but I don’t have the time to visit the U.S. to meet them.”
“Then…?”
“If they want an interview, they should come here.”
“……!”
“Instead, tell them we’ll cover the flight and accommodations, so they can come anytime.”
“Yes…”
It was an uncertain answer.
But Lee Hyun-woo was firm.
“No matter how talented they are, we don’t need to be submissive. 【Jungle】 has Oh Min-woo, Lee Jung-woo, Woo Sang-won, and Jang Yoo-chul. Right?”
“Yes, that’s true.”
“Okay, then go and relay the message.”
“Yes, CEO.”
Watching Oh Min-woo’s back, Lee Hyun-woo had a hunch.
Maybe the relationship with those two would end here.
‘I have no regrets. Even if I can give them freedom, I don’t need to cater to them in every detail.’
It’s more fun to nurture instead.
How refreshing and new is it to have new faces in the second life?
As expected, when Oh Min-woo visited the CEO’s office in the afternoon,
“They’re asking for more time. But from what I gathered, they seem to have high expectations for P2P.”
He gave an answer that didn’t deviate much from Lee Hyun-woo’s expectations.
At the same time,
“It feels like Pandora’s box is about to open. If P2P comes out, all sorts of things will be exchanged illegally.”
He voiced his concern.
Lee Hyun-woo responded calmly.
“It’s all part of the process.”
The world always reaches a balance point through a self-regulation mechanism, showing both bright and dark sides simultaneously.
Lee Hyun-woo had seen it all.
“Now that we know P2P is coming, what should we do?”
“We need to upgrade our search engine diligently. That way, we can later discuss with P2P companies to attach our search engine and filter it.”
“Yes, that’s exactly right, Min-woo.”
“If you are thankful, please hire a beautiful female trainer.”
“Shut up and go work.”
“Yes, sir!”
Shortly after that, the medical room and trainer rooms finally opened.
And that day, the second floor was bustling with employees visiting the medical room even though they weren’t sick and those who wanted to receive personalized training even if their bodies weren’t up for it.
