Oh Min-woo, who went to the meeting in place of him.
“Hello, I’m Joe Murphy.”
“Hello, I’m Dong-woon Shin.”
But until recently, he was on Wall Street, and he was surprised to hear the name of a person from 【Natural Standard Fund】.
Joe Murphy is a legendary manager who is always at the top in investment returns.
However, there was a slight hint of regret and disappointment on his face.
‘He wanted to meet Oh Min-woo, not me.’
In fact, after exchanging a few words, he expressed it frankly.
“As you know, talented people always go independent. So, at the very least, I came to meet Mr. Oh, but unfortunately, it turned out like this.”
“I don’t know if this will be of any comfort, but even if it was a company other than 【Natural Standard Fund】, Mr. Oh would not have wanted to meet you.”
“Does that mean he is very satisfied with the company?”
“It means no other place can control him. In other words, only our CEO can control Mr. Oh well.”
Only a weirdo can control a weirdo.
This is what he thought inside, but he couldn’t express it, so he spoke vaguely.
“I’d like to hear more about Hyun-woo Lee.”
The other party shows interest in Lee Hyun-woo.
Perhaps the first target was Hyun-woo Lee, and Oh Min-woo was the second choice.
‘Then am I just an egg?’
Dong-woon Shin said with a bitter smile.
“When I was in school, I met a genius I couldn’t beat no matter how hard I studied. Even though I stayed up all night, that genius seemed to always be playing.”
“Oh, I have had a similar experience. So, Hyun-woo Lee is that kind of person.”
“Maybe. He plays and enjoys everything he wants, but he precisely keeps his working hours, and everything he does is so ingenious.”
Glorifying a weirdo makes him a genius in this way.
But it could be close to the truth.
“It’s the same with the business in the U.S. this time. He keeps his working hours just like in Korea, and outside of that, he doesn’t talk about business or meet people.”
“Oh… So, he refused our appointment. Then, is Mr. Oh similar?”
“Similar but different. Mr. Oh doesn’t have strict working hours. Sometimes he stays up all night to work, and other times he takes it easy during working hours.”
“Now that I hear it, it indeed seems relaxed. It’s quite different from the IT companies I know. Even at 【Yahoo】, everyone, including the CEO, is a workaholic.”
“Indeed.”
While talking, Dong-woon Shin felt a peculiar feeling.
As far as he knew, Koreans were originally the most hardworking people in the world.
He had imagined employees sitting in front of computers working all day long when the information age arrived.
‘Surprisingly, hearing an American talk about having a relaxed work life is astonishing.’
More surprising was the proposal that followed shortly after.
“If you want, our 【Natural Standard Fund】 is considering a $100 million investment.”
“……!”
$100 million is enough to acquire a decent company.
But the fact that 【Natural Standard Fund】 mentioned that much means they want equity, not acquisition.
Dong-woon Shin swallowed his saliva and asked cautiously.
“How much equity do you want?”
“20%.”
Finally, he could understand the value that a leading Wall Street hedge fund placed on 【Jungle】.
‘Approximately 500 billion won.’
Dong-woon Shin knew that 【Jungle】 was more recognized abroad than in Korea, but he didn’t expect it to be valued this high.
“I will convey this to the CEO.”
“Please make sure to tell him that this is just the start of negotiations. We are ready to hear any other conditions.”
“Yes, I will convey that.”
After the meal, the employee who had been just listening asked Joe Murphy.
“Isn’t $100 million too much?”
“It could be. But without that amount, we can’t catch Hyun-woo Lee’s attention.”
Despite this answer, the employee still had doubts on his face.
No, the basis seemed insufficient.
‘An amount to catch Hyun-woo Lee’s attention? And that for securing just 20% equity?’
Noticing his expression, Joe Murphy smiled and explained.
“While you were trying to arrange this meeting here, I was gathering information in New York. I heard about 【MBG Music】.”
“What? 【MBG Music】?”
The employee widened his eyes, wondering why he was suddenly talking about a record company, and Joe Murphy continued with a meaningful smile.
“Yes, 【MBG Music】. As you know, it’s one of the top 3 record companies in the U.S., right?”
“That’s right.”
“But do you know this? It’s the only place that has a contract with 【Jungle Music】 to sell MP3 tracks.”
“Ah…”
“The terms weren’t great. It’s just MP3 tracks selling for about 50 cents each, so how many would they sell? In fact, sales weren’t that high in the first month. But in the second month, sales exactly doubled. In the third month, it doubled again, and last month it quadrupled from the third month. This is beyond exponential growth, and the future market is unimaginable.”
“……!”
“There’s also talk that 【Jungle Music】 is partnering with Son Jung-yi to target the Japanese market. They might target the U.S. market too. The start might be modest, as both Japan and the U.S. are in the early stages of ADSL. But once high-speed internet is in place and download speeds increase, what do you think will happen? Try to imagine.”
The employee’s pupils trembled slightly.
After a few seconds of silence, he said,
“Honestly, it’s hard to imagine.”
“It should be. I felt the same, but one thing is clear: 【Jungle】’s content is not just about music tracks.”
“Ah… Right.”
“So, I decided to take a gamble. Even if it’s not my money but the company’s, what if $100 million could make us a major shareholder in the world’s largest IT company?”
Now, the employee could picture in his head what he couldn’t imagine before.
Joe Murphy, talking right in front of him, was a legend in the industry.
The huge deals he had struck were beyond what a low-level employee could even dream of.
But now his bold gamble seemed impressive.
Taking a risk and investing in a small Korean company, planning to reap even greater returns later.
“So that’s why you came here suddenly.”
“Yes, exactly. But… this gamble only works if we meet Hyun-woo Lee.”
The employee nodded.
However, he thought there was no way Hyun-woo Lee would reject this offer.
After all, it was $100 million.
And the offer was to take just 20% equity.
‘No way he would reject this, right?’
Returning late at night after a date, Hyun-woo Lee and Ah-young Kim were met by two people waiting for them.
One was secretary Min-sook Park.
“Was everything okay?”
She couldn’t join the date.
She suddenly felt unwell.
So, they sent a bodyguard instead,
“We were fine. Are you feeling better?”
“Yes, I feel much better. I’m really sorry for causing trouble.”
“No, don’t say that.”
Listening to Ah-young Kim and Min-sook Park’s conversation, it didn’t seem like just a workplace superior and subordinate.
Hyun-woo Lee felt a warm feeling inside.
Up to here for reflections.
“Were you waiting for me?”
This time, Hyun-woo Lee asked his own subordinate.
The person standing next to Min-sook Park was Dong-woon Shin.
“Yes, I have something urgent to tell you…”
“What now…”
“It’s hard to say here…”
“It’s okay. You can say it.”
Dong-woon Shin hesitated.
It was about money, contracts, and investments, and he felt uncomfortable talking about it in front of Ah-young Kim and her secretary.
At that moment,
“I heard from Manager Oh that you went to meet people from 【Natural Standard Fund】. Did they want to invest?”
Hyun-woo Lee asked directly, so Dong-woon Shin had no choice but to nod.
“Yes…”
“How much?”
“Well…”
“It’s okay. Speak up. These are all trustworthy people.”
“1… 100 Million…”
“100 Million won?”
“100 Million dollars.”
“……!”
“……!”
“……!”
Even Hyun-woo Lee couldn’t help but be surprised at the amount.
Ah-young Kim and Min-sook Park, who were listening, were the same.
Then the two immediately said,
“Secretary Park, let’s go inside first.”
“Ah, yes… Director…”
Talking about such a large amount might make the speaker very uneasy.
“Don’t worry, we’ll keep it a secret. Please discuss freely.”
“Ah, yes, thank you.”
Once Ah-young Kim and Min-sook Park left, the slightly pressured Dong-woon Shin began to explain in detail. After hearing everything, Hyun-woo Lee regained his composure and looked at him.
“Alright. It seems we need to meet them.”
“Shall I arrange the time?”
“Yes, suggest having lunch together tomorrow at this hotel.”
“Understood, CEO.”
Turning away, Dong-woon Shin sighed as if proving his worth.
Then he heard a voice.
“Ah, just in case you forget, please start the club as soon as you return to Korea. Got it?”
“Ah, yes, yes. Understood, CEO.”
Even at this moment, talking about the club.
Hyun-woo Lee was indeed a weirdo.
Hyun-woo Lee lay on the bed as soon as he returned to his room.
He organized the ongoing events in his head.
‘It’s going better than expected.’
No, there was never a detailed plan from the start.
After his return, he just dived into the most promising IT field in the future, then applied his well-honed management techniques.
‘Is the past life cheat key working significantly?’
Making crucial decisions based on past life experiences led to big jumps at every moment.
If it continues like this, his second life will be full of success in everything he tries.
‘Then I should take it easy even more. And I should be generous and share a lot.’
It was almost a free success.
At the moment of death, a high-ranking official in the afterlife said that living kindly leads to blessings, so Hyun-woo Lee pledged again to spread goodwill and share profits.
‘Conversely, if I keep all the easy gains to myself, who knows what might happen.’
He immediately thought of his parents, who passed away early in his past life.
In this life, if he gets buried in work, he might neglect his parents again.
‘I must never become a workaholic in this life.’
