Having experienced it once in America, Lee Hyun-woo wasn’t flustered by the flashing cameras of the reporters.
However,
“I won’t do any interviews that weren’t prearranged.”
He threw out that statement as soon as he exited the gate and continued on his way with a smile.
Of course, the reporters wouldn’t just stand still.
“Could you spare just a moment of your time?”
“I just have one question.”
“Do you have any comments regarding the investment you received in America…”
“Ay, you guys are so annoying! I’ll handle it, I will! Anyone who wants an interview, I’ll do it!”
At this point, Oh Min-woo, whose voice was as loud as if it had been boiled in a cauldron, stepped forward.
The reporters hesitated for a moment.
Taking advantage of this gap, Oh Min-woo said,
“By the way, I got a scout offer from 【Yahoo】, but I boldly chose to stay with 【Jungle】.”
Should we say it’s a case of “better a sparrow in the hand than a dove on the roof”?
The reporters, feeling they might miss Lee Hyun-woo, who was walking away unbothered, reluctantly turned to Oh Min-woo.
Meanwhile, Lee Hyun-woo smoothly made his way to the parking lot.
He quickly found his car, sat in his seat, and said,
“Min-woo saved me!”
His younger brother, Lee Jung-woo, responded with a laugh.
“He really loves getting attention.”
“He’s an attention seeker.”
“What’s that?”
“It means someone who loves getting attention.”
“Really? Is that so?”
“Yeah, by the way, now it really feels like we’re back in Korea. Don’t you think?”
Not wanting to explain the origin of the term “attention seeker,” Lee Hyun-woo quickly changed the subject.
“Yeah, right. Oh, should we have said good bye to Kim Ah-young?”
“Given the atmosphere earlier, it would’ve just been fodder for the reporters.”
“Come to think of it, they must’ve taken a picture of us standing together at the gate. What if the reporters write a story based on that photo?”
“Well, it won’t make it to the papers.”
“Why?”
“Do you think Ah-young’s father would just let it slide? He’ll find a way to handle it.”
Lee Hyun-woo kept finding reasons to appreciate that his girlfriend was the daughter of a conglomerate family.
This time was no different.
Most likely, 【Guseong】 would end up buying the photos in their entirety.
‘Of course, this is only possible now. Later, even 【Guseong】 won’t be able to control it.’
At present, digital cameras weren’t that widely available.
So, most reporters were still using film, meaning money would certainly solve the problem.
But later, how would they handle digital cameras, not to mention the cameras on mobile phones?
Those would end up all over the internet, making it far from easy.
“But hyung, I have a question.”
“What is it?”
“If you were to marry Kim Ah-young…”
“Hey, why are you getting ahead of yourself?”
“That’s why I said ‘if’. Anyway, if that happens, what will happen to our company?”
Lee Hyun-woo could roughly guess his intention.
It seemed he was concerned that 【Jungle】 might be absorbed by 【Guseong】.
“That kind of thing won’t happen. I’m me, and Ah-young is Ah-young. We won’t interfere with each other’s business. And neither her family nor ours should meddle in that way.”
“Right?”
“Yeah, that’s what I think. And in any case, my goal is to retire before I’m forty.”
“Oh, come on, hyung, not that again.”
Lee Jung-woo frowned slightly, as this wasn’t the first time Lee Hyun-woo mentioned retiring before forty.
“Hyung, you may not know this, but do you know how happy I am these days? I feel like I could grab the whole world. But if you leave? How could I dream of that?”
“Wow, that’s ambitious.”
“Come on, hyung, even if you leave, don’t declare retirement based on age.”
“Not based on age?”
“Yeah, instead, say you’ll retire after achieving something.”
As he spoke, something crossed his mind.
What kind of condition would his brother set for retirement?
An unrefined goal immediately popped into his head.
“You should at least be on the level of the founder of 【Macro Soft】 before you can retire. So build the company to that scale before you leave.”
Lee Hyun-woo chuckled.
The goal he had set was somewhat excessive.
Aiming to be the world’s richest person was quite the target.
‘Well, I was planning on something like that anyway.’
【Macro Soft】’s Billy Kates had amassed a vast fortune before turning forty.
Lee Hyun-woo believed he could do the same.
“So, you want me to take 【Jungle】 to the highest point possible. Well, I can do that.”
“And one more thing.”
“Why so many?”
“You have to create a lot of people who can replace you. Right?”
“Ah…”
“You need to develop the team leaders of 【Jungle】 to be more capable than they are now. I’m counting on you, hyung.”
“Why are you changing the subject like that? I’m busy after coming back home, you know.”
“I know, there’s a lot of work you brought back from America.”
“Aren’t you and Min-woo going to handle that and relay it to the team? I have my own tasks to do.”
“What else do you have?”
Is he planning another business?
Lee Jung-woo, with his workaholic genes inherited from Lee Hyun-woo, looked at his brother’s lips with sparkling eyes.
But the answer that came out was totally unexpected.
“I’m going to start an in-house club.”
“Oh… that club you mentioned before?”
“Yeah, whether it’s a club or a society.”
He had already decided on the first club to create.
It was going to be a band.
After the weekend, as soon as he came to work, Lee Hyun-woo called in Shin Dong-woon.
Shin Dong-woon quickly went up to the CEO’s office, thinking he might be asked to do something related to what happened in America,
“Could you push forward with the band I mentioned before?”
“……”
Once again, he received a request that made him feel how quirky Lee Hyun-woo was.
But could he refuse?
“Yes, understood.”
“If you need anything, feel free to ask.”
“Yes, I will.”
Was it just his imagination, or did he sense excitement in Lee Hyun-woo’s voice?
No, it wasn’t.
Lee Hyun-woo was indeed excited.
‘When I went to America this time, the pop songs were completely different.’
The point when Lee Hyun-woo had returned to the past was February last year.
In over a year, not only had the Korean music scene changed, but there wasn’t a single American pop song that he recognized.
Especially, one song that came to mind was “Macaroni,” which had become a sensational hit after being remixed in the U.S., originally from Spain.
‘I will revive it with my own hands.’
Instead of just thinking about it, Lee Hyun-woo decided to dive deeper and immediately picked up the phone.
The person he contacted was Hyun Chang-soo, the manager of Kim Yoon-sun.
After a few rings, he answered the phone.
(Hello?)
“Hello? Manager Hyun?”
(Oh? Hello, CEO.)
“Ah, right. I should call you CEO too.”
(No, it’s fine. Just call me comfortably.)
In reality, Kim Yoon-sun operated a one-person agency.
So, Hyun Chang-soo, who worked as her manager, was practically the CEO, but Lee Hyun-woo kept forgetting and called him manager.
(Did you have a good trip to America?)
“Of course. Are you well, CEO Hyun?”
(Thanks to you, my life has changed. Our Yoon-sun has made a complete comeback too.)
“Come on, what did I do?”
(No, really. Honestly, without you, I can’t guarantee that Yoon-sun would have been able to stand on stage again as a singer. You created a song that might become the biggest hit of the first half of the year.)
“Haha… Please forget about that…”
(How could I forget?)
Hyun Chang-soo went on for a while, explaining how well Kim Yoon-sun was doing.
In short, he talked lengthily about how she was doing great.
Then, realizing something,
(Come to think of it, I don’t know what I’m doing, not telling Yoon-sun.)
“No, no. Today, I called to talk to you, not Yoon-sun.”
(To me?)
“Yes, I was wondering if you knew anyone who could teach music to an amateur like me on a one-on-one basis.”
(What kind of music?)
“Specifically, an instrument. A synthesizer.”
(Ah… Oh? Are you planning to compose music?)
“No, it’s just a hobby. I want to learn it as a hobby.”
This was an idea that had been vaguely forming in America and solidified over the weekend.
To put it more precisely, he wanted to revive songs that could evoke strong nostalgia for the ‘90s and enjoy them himself.
But not wanting to explain this in detail to the talkative Hyun Chang-soo, Lee Hyun-woo quickly continued.
“Anyway, if there’s someone who can give lessons on a part-time basis, please introduce them to me.”
(Ah, yes. Who should I ask for this?)
“Don’t think too hard. A singer aspirant would be perfect. They can make some pocket money before debuting.”
He thought it would be less burdensome for both sides if it were a struggling aspirant.
(Oh, then I could send one of the aspirants I’m training.)
“Are you training aspirants?”
(Of course. As I mentioned, thanks to you, Yoon-sun has become successful, and I’ve had the opportunity to expand my agency. So, I’ve been training some aspirants recently, and one of them is really good with the synthesizer.)
“That’s great. Please introduce that person to me.”
(Yes, I will. When would be a good time?)
“I like to strike while the iron is hot.”
(So, as soon as possible?)
“Yes, I’m buying a synthesizer today. It should arrive tomorrow, so please send them after work.”
(Yes, yes, I’ll do that.)
Ending the call here, Lee Hyun-woo then proceeded with a brief morning meeting, sharing the achievements and tasks from America,
“I have something to say.”
With a face that suggested he was about to announce something important, he looked at the team leaders.
Their eyes sparkled with anticipation.
They seemed to be thinking he would announce a grand plan for 【Jungle】’s global leap.
But they were completely mistaken.
“As I mentioned before, I want to create a more enjoyable work environment by promoting in-house clubs.”
“Excuse me?”
“In-house clubs?”
“What does that…”
“Wow, he’s serious about this.”
The four team leaders, excluding Jang Yoo-chul and Lee Jung-woo who were at school, appeared to be in disbelief.
Lee Hyun-woo continued speaking undeterred.
“As I said, working happily increases work efficiency. So, I plan to promote in-house clubs. Please relay this to each part. Whether it’s fishing, photography, hiking, sports, or any hobby, they can form a club, and the company will support it.”
“……”
“……”
“……”
“……”
“For your information, I plan to join the band that Team Leader Shin Dong-woon will create. I intend to present a great song within a few months.”
Seeing the people still looking bewildered, Lee Hyun-woo smiled slightly.
‘Do you know how famous the song “Macaroni” that I’m going to create is?’
It held the No. 1 spot on the Billboard chart for 14 consecutive weeks and had a tug-of-war with global music sites for decades to maximize copyright benefits.
For reference, even before Lee Hyun-woo’s death, the song hadn’t been played on Korean music sites.
‘Should I just make it and sell it as an online music file?’
Thinking about this made him chuckle.
Though he didn’t actually plan on doing that, he did feel a desire to recreate “Macaroni” even better than in his past life.
The next day, Lee Hyun-woo set up a dazzling synthesizer in the basement.
After work, he waited for the aspiring singer that Hyun Chang-soo would send, feeling like a student waiting for a teacher.
Right on time, someone arrived at 【Jungle】,
“Oh?”
Lee Hyun-woo couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise.
‘Is this person really an aspiring singer?’
Standing before him was someone who had been a very famous pro-gamer in his previous life.
A legend in the so-called “Space Craft.”
He was so famous that even Lee Hyun-woo recognized his face.
‘Come to think of it, shouldn’t “Space Craft” have already made a big impact around this time?’
It seemed that everything had gone off track from the point when he returned to the past.
