Time flows again.
Lee Hyun-woo meets with the CEOs of various companies who are interested in the search engine during work hours, adhering to his principle of working only during work hours. Lee Jung-woo and Oh Min-woo also assist him, not just playing around.
However, if Lee Hyun-woo leaves work and no more people are seen, their behaviors change.
Firstly, Oh Min-woo’s actions vary depending on his mood.
Sometimes he goes out to play, other times he stays behind to meet people.
On the other hand, Lee Jung-woo constantly meets people.
Lee Hyun-woo tries to stop him from overworking, but,
“When the tide comes in, you have to row. Plus, meeting operators of Silicon Valley’s dot-com companies is really fun.”
Finding work fun is an early symptom of addiction.
‘But honestly, I find it fun too.’
Lee Hyun-woo constantly battles between his principle and the joy of work.
However, his trauma always restrained his desire to work more.
Naturally, enjoying dates with Kim Ah-young was also a solution.
When he was with her, dating was more enjoyable than work.
The day before returning to Korea was no different.
“Shall we have dinner tonight and then go see the night view?”
“Shall we?”
But this day, Kim Ah-young had a special request to Park Min-sook.
She asked to let them date alone.
Whether it was a mother’s heart or an unnie’s heart, Park Min-sook granted the request.
In return, she summarized the achievements of Jungle in the U.S.
In the previous call, she was instructed not to report daily but to summarize and report the day before.
The summary was completed late at night, and finally, Park Min-sook contacted Kim Sung-moo.
(Hello?)
“Yes, Chairman. It’s me.”
(Yes, Manager Park. How did it go?)
“CEO Lee Hyun-woo’s skills have shown again. Just the companies we’ve contracted with from the first day until today amount to nearly hundreds.”
(Hundreds? Haven’t they been there for only about a week?)
“Yes, that’s correct, but…”
Park Min-sook briefly explained the series of processes derived from the business cooperation between Jungle and Alta Vista.
Additional questions came in throughout the explanation, but she detailed them to the best of her knowledge.
“Although the amount isn’t very large, the search engine business receives regular monthly payments, making it easier to predict how much more profit will be gained. And as more companies inquire, it is certain that they have pioneered a blue ocean.”
“Indeed. The world is wide, and there are many companies.”
“The business cooperation also seems to be going very well. Jungle needs to establish a branch in the U.S. immediately, but until then, Alta Vista appears to be acting as their representative. In fact, since Alta Vista also changed its business model to database provision, newspapers and other companies must contract with both companies simultaneously.”
It was a kind of package.
Search engine by Jungle, database by Alta Vista.
“Moreover, it is very evident that Jungle will use Alta Vista’s database to enter the American portal site market. It’s just a matter of time.”
(……)
“And although the news about the confirmed investment from the fund company I mentioned before hasn’t been reported yet, if it is finalized, the scenario I just mentioned could change completely. Therefore, it is very urgent to reevaluate the corporate value of Jungle.”
(Hmm…)
Hearing Chairman Kim Sung-moo’s hum, Park Min-sook took a moment to catch her breath.
She reviewed if there were any exaggerations or distortions in what she said.
The conclusion was none.
Most were facts, and she even thought Jungle might soon stand shoulder to shoulder with the rising IT company Yaho in the U.S.
The entry into the portal site market was just a matter of time, and even Park Min-sook found herself eagerly awaiting that moment.
“Ah, I forgot one thing. CEO Lee also did interviews while contracting with American newspapers, and he always mentioned Korea’s network environment. Maybe because of that, some local newspapers are already carrying content about investing in Korean companies. Although it’s not nationwide yet, if this news reaches global investment companies, Korean companies will likely receive active courtship.”
She also saw this as a matter of time.
Already, numerous websites had opened in Korea to chase Jungle.
99% of them were mere imitations, copying or slightly altering the services provided by Jungle, thus losing freshness.
Therefore, it was certain that they would disappear someday.
However, Park Min-sook thought the remaining 1% had competitiveness.
Kim Sung-moo probably had a similar thought.
(Alright, I understand. You’ve worked hard, Manager Park.)
“No, it’s my duty.”
(But who else could inform so thoroughly if not you?)
It meant that he trusted her that much, but originally, Park Min-sook’s ability was very outstanding.
‘Now, the only thing left is the news about his daughter, right?’
For the Chairman, Kim Ah-young was a special existence.
There might be no child that doesn’t hurt when bitten, but Kim Ah-young was someone Kim Sung-moo found too precious.
Even with Kim Tae-hyun already decided as the successor, somehow her latent abilities seemed more outstanding.
Park Min-sook couldn’t have missed this.
And,
‘The Chairman must be feeling uneasy these days.’
He must know that Kim Ah-young has given her heart to Lee Hyun-woo, so how heartbroken must he be?
Originally, even marrying the king’s son would still make one’s own child seem precious.
Kim Sung-moo must feel the same way, so she felt empathetic for no reason.
(Where is Ah-young now?)
He asks a question she has to think carefully to answer.
But she can’t lie.
Even if not Park Min-sook, bodyguard Jung Jin-sung would report everything later.
“She went out with CEO Lee Hyun-woo.”
(What time is it there?)
“About ten… thirty… at night…”
(The bodyguards are with them, right?)
“It’s just that she asked to let them go out alone today…”
She gets nervous again.
Why didn’t she think of this earlier?
But,
(Is that so?)
“Maybe because it’s the last day, she really wanted it.”
(Well, it can’t be helped.)
It’s strange.
She thought he’d get angry about them being out late at night alone, but his voice was calm.
Finally,
(Okay, I got it.)
He ends it like that.
Could it be that Kim Sung-moo isn’t worried about what the two might do this late at night?
Kim Sung-moo was someone who could see the world while sitting.
Even though Manager Park let them go alone, he had already instructed bodyguard Jung Jin-sung.
- Don’t let them be alone if possible!
Following the Chairman’s order, Jung Jin-sung was keeping an eye on Lee Hyun-woo and Kim Ah-young from a distance at the coffee shop they went into.
Jung Jin-sung would do his best to prevent them from being alone.
Including using force.
But Lee Hyun-woo showed no sign of that at all.
It was the same in Japan.
They just walked around holding hands, with no further progress.
‘If not for the Chairman’s order, I’d want to tell him. At this rate, he can’t win over the woman he wants.’
Thinking this briefly, the two seemed to finish talking and stood up.
After paying, Lee Hyun-woo waved his hand.
“Huh?”
A voice came out in surprise without realizing it.
The person Lee Hyun-woo was signaling to was none other than himself.
Soon after, Kim Ah-young approached and said to Jung Jin-sung,
“Um, we’re going back now.”
“Oh… yes, yes… got it.”
He must have noticed they had been followed from earlier.
As expected, the two returned to their lodging without any “incident.”
The only improvement was that the two sat together in the back seat.
Initially, Lee Hyun-woo sat in the front seat, making him wonder what kind of guy he was.
Now, seeing them holding hands and looking at each other in the back seat,
‘Ugh, I suddenly have a stomach ache.’
Even with the voice dripping with ‘sweetness’ from Kim Ah-young,
“Are you really moving the headquarters to Jeju Island?”
It annoys him for some reason.
On the other hand, Lee Hyun-woo, taking a glance at Jung Jin-sung in the front seat, said,
“Yeah, I’m going to move.”
Lee Hyun-woo was currently dreaming of relocating the headquarters.
He had already considered Jeju Island and mentioned it to Kim Ah-young.
“But won’t it be hard to do business from Jeju Island?”
“It’s all network-based, so what.”
“You say it so easily. Seeing you actually make it all happen is amazing.”
“I find myself amazing too.”
Living a second life was amazing, and succeeding in every endeavor was amazing.
Even forming a connection with a woman like Kim Ah-young who had everything.
Now, his heart races.
‘I thought there’d be no such excitement in my emotions after living over 50 years.’
However, one can’t change overnight.
Though it’s ‘sweet,’ it seemed more time was needed to go beyond a hot romance, so he always returned early.
Today was a bit late, but still before midnight, and Lee Hyun-woo felt slightly embarrassed as Park Min-sook watched outside the hotel.
‘I haven’t committed a crime.’
It’s strange.
Before entering the room, his younger brother was waiting at the door, making him feel awkward again.
“Do you have something to say?”
“No, I just wanted to have a beer before going to bed since we’re leaving tomorrow.”
“Alright, come in.”
Lee Jung-woo, who was already holding two beers, slyly brought up his purpose as soon as they entered.
“Hyung, you’re dating now, right?”
“Well… something like that…”
Lee Hyun-woo, who always answered clearly, hesitated, making Lee Jung-woo smile subtly.
“Seeing it, I also think Director Kim Ah-young is a good match for you. But her background is so impressive, it bothers me a bit.”
“What’s there to bother about? Not everyone who dates gets married.”
“Really? Aren’t you two dating with marriage in mind?”
“What are you talking about? We’re only twenty-eight…”
As he was about to mention age, Lee Hyun-woo recalled the current era.
Though twenty-eight was slightly early, it was definitely the right age for marriage.
If they start dating now, they’d probably marry in 1 or 2 years,
‘Huh? It does seem like we’re dating with marriage in mind.’
As he hesitated again, his brother pressed on.
“No need to play dumb. Now that it’s like this, shouldn’t you introduce Director Kim Ah-young to our parents? Right?”
“Well, we’ll have to do that someday, but let’s wait a bit more.”
“A bit more? Why? Is there something else?”
“What do you mean by something else?”
“For example, if her side opposes you.”
“Hey, what are you talking about? They don’t even know we’re dating yet.”
“Oh, really?”
It’s not something he can be sure of.
Or maybe Chairman Kim Sung-moo already knows and is observing.
‘Won’t I be quietly called in later and told to break up?’
When he visited last time, he had a rough sense.
The atmosphere and expressions of the people, knowing everything but not mentioning it.
Kim Sung-moo was similar.
However, until Kim Sung-moo explicitly mentioned it, Lee Hyun-woo had no intention of revealing it.
‘If I’m not careful, I’ll get entangled with Guseong.’
Even if he married Kim Ah-young, his goal was to have her join his family, not the other way around.
Why?
Because retiring before forty and enjoying his life could be jeopardized.
‘That can’t happen.’
The purpose of this life was ‘enjoyment’ and ‘fun,’ and he couldn’t end it just working.
Lee Hyun-woo reaffirmed his commitment today.
He would enjoy everything and retire before forty.
However, whether the world would let Lee Hyun-woo walk the path of early retirement remained to be seen.
The next day.
Although it was planned, major newspapers in the U.S. poured out articles.
『Jungle to Receive $100 Million Investment from Natural Standard Fund!』
