After spending all day Saturday working together, by Sunday, we had created a piece of work.
“Wow, this…”
“It’s really amazing, isn’t it?”
“Indeed, our master is the best.”
“Hahaha, why are you saying that? I just did what Hyung told me to do.”
The four of them had now become completely close.
The four here refer to Lee Hyun-woo, Shin Dong-woon, Jang Yoo-chul, and Hong Yo-han.
Except for Shin Dong-woon, the rest were united by music.
So why was Shin Dong-woon there…
Of course, he came for weekend work and ended up joining the underground band by chance.
Since they already had a drum set, there was no problem matching the song, and the four of them played “Macaroni.”
To be precise, Hong Yo-han played the synthesizer, Jang Yoo-chul played the guitar, and Shin Dong-woon played the drums.
Naturally, Lee Hyun-woo took on the vocals.
“The only downside is my voice is too low, so the song doesn’t stand out.”
“CEO, if I may be so bold, your voice is quite charming.”
“That’s right, Hyung. Your low voice really pleases people’s ears.”
“I agree.”
“Still, if a professional singer sang this song, it would be even better…”
Taking the compliments as flattery, Lee Hyun-woo looked at Hong Yo-han and suggested,
“How about playing this for your band?”
“What? Really?”
“Yes, I want to hear a properly released song.”
“Haha…”
Hong Yo-han scratched the back of his head.
Then, nodding, he replied,
“Okay, I’ll do that. I’ll play and record it with my band and bring it to you.”
Hong Yo-han’s eyes sparkled, indicating he was deeply immersed in the song.
Seeing this, Lee Hyun-woo thought to himself,
‘I originally intended to make this for fun with an amateur band, but things are turning out this way.’
Over the past couple of days, with Hong Yo-han’s involvement in the remix work, the song turned out exactly as Lee Hyun-woo wanted it.
He thought perhaps Hong Yo-han’s band might like the song enough to work on an album.
If that were the case, he would let it go with an open heart.
‘May it become a remix of “Macaroni” that travels beyond Korea to the world.’
There was nothing to say it couldn’t happen.
Currently, in Japan, a portal site had firmly established itself, creating an environment for launching 【Jungle Music】, and in the U.S., it was only a matter of time before 【Jungle USA】 opened.
Of course, the basic premise was that 【Jungle USA】 would have to create an enormous sensation in the U.S. as well.
‘There’s no reason why it can’t happen.’
Now, Lee Hyun-woo was always confident about the success of platforms and IT content.
After Hong Yo-han left, Shin Dong-woon asked Lee Hyun-woo for a moment of his time.
He had been itching to talk since the previous day.
There was an urgent issue.
“In a few days, Joe Murphy will be coming with his team. I think we should start preparing.”
“Didn’t you say the preparations were nearly complete? I heard you made a joint business agreement with a law firm.”
“Oh, yes, that’s right.”
Looking from Shin Dong-woon’s perspective, Lee Hyun-woo seemed really strange.
To be honest, the 【Natural Standard Fund】 was like a patron.
So thorough preparation was needed,
‘Well, it’s not like we haven’t prepared.’
Thinking about it, it didn’t feel like the preparations were lacking.
The agreement was completed and reviewed several times, and Lee Hyun-woo instructed Han Se-jin and Kang Dong-ho to design the business plan.
If there were any gaps, they were perfectly pointed out and filled, which seemed like something that could only be done with decades of experience.
Yet, he still made time for band activities, proving he was a unique character.
“You might be a bit uneasy, but there’s no need. Our company has had many people wanting to invest for a long time. In fact, since we successfully entered the Japanese market, it’s more important that we make up our minds; there’s no need to be swayed by them.”
This was also true.
With the opening of the larger Japanese market compared to the Korean market, tremendous achievements were flooding in.
Public institutions and some companies in Japan wanted to use the search engine, and large corporations were slowly emerging that wanted to partner with 【Jungle】 for online shopping and music services.
Lee Hyun-woo seemed to think there was no need to partner with anyone else since Son Jung-yi, the current business partner in Japan, was handling things well.
Rather, he modified parts of the business plan that were discussed in the U.S.
That was the selection of the person to oversee 【Jungle USA】.
Originally, he considered Oh Min-woo and Lee Jung-woo, but since they adamantly refused, he appointed Woo Sang-won and returned to Korea.
However, as the situation in Japan became clearer, he changed his mind,
- I think it would be better to appoint an American.
He judged that having someone who knew the local area well would be better.
Perhaps the reason Shin Dong-woon wanted to talk to Lee Hyun-woo today was because of this uneasiness.
Noticing this, Lee Hyun-woo smiled and said,
“I think it wouldn’t be bad to enter the U.S. through a joint venture, just like in Japan.”
“By joint venture, do you mean with a company in the U.S.?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Do you have a specific company in mind…”
“The answer is almost decided, but I think I’ll make the final decision after discussing it with Joe Murphy.”
Hearing that he would discuss it with Joe Murphy, Shin Dong-woon’s face brightened.
‘Thank goodness. He’s not treating the investor lightly.’
He had felt that Lee Hyun-woo was too indifferent about the investment.
No matter how many cards 【Jungle】 held, treating the investor lightly could cause problems.
Now feeling relieved, Shin Dong-woon.
However, a few days later, when he heard what Lee Hyun-woo said to Joe Murphy, he couldn’t help but be shocked.
“During this time, I have had many conversations with Tim Conner, the CEO of 【Al Ta Beast】. And I have reached a conclusion. 【Al Ta Beast】 and 【Jungle】 will create a new portal site in the U.S.”
“What?”
“What?”
“What?”
Countless exclamations entered Lee Hyun-woo’s ears.
But Lee Hyun-woo continued without minding them,
“Developers from both companies will be responsible for the development and operation of a stable portal site. As you know, both sides have considerable experience and know-how.”
“That’s true, but…”
“Instead, I believe that a knowledgeable American in management and finance should run 【Jungle USA】 for it to grow properly. So how about it, Joe Murphy? Would you recommend someone?”
Asking an investor to recommend the CEO of 【Jungle USA】?
While the mention of a joint venture in the U.S. was surprising, this offer was irresistible.
It was like granting enormous authority.
“Can you really do that?”
“Of course. After thinking about it in Korea, I confirmed that this is the best solution.”
“Thank you for trusting me and entrusting me with the recommendation.”
Lee Hyun-woo smiled at that.
‘He’ll find the best manager.’
Suddenly, he recalled Allen Smith, who had elevated 【Single】 to the top-tier IT company in his previous life.
No matter how exceptional developers like Ray Burin and Mikhail Faise were, it was only after Allen Smith took over that 【Single】 started to reach its peak.
In a sense, 【Jungle】 was no different.
There were many developers, but it was soaring higher under the management of Lee Hyun-woo.
“Ah, to repay your trust in me, I have some good news to share.”
“Go ahead.”
“I heard that 【Jungle Music】 had exclusive negotiations with 【MBG】, one of the three major record companies in the U.S., for pop music.”
“Yes, and?”
“Recently, I met with the CEOs of the other two companies.”
Lee Hyun-woo’s eyes widened.
In fact, he was eager to provide all American pop songs, but the reactions of the other two companies had been lukewarm.
‘If this happens, the music market in Korea, the U.S., and Japan will expand significantly.’
Lee Hyun-woo’s eyes sparkled with excitement, especially now that he had an interest in music through his band activities.
“Alright, let’s summarize. We will start 【Jungle USA】 with an investment of 100 million dollars, combining the technology and capital of both 【Jungle】 and 【Al Ta Beast】. We expect the preparation period to be two months.”
“That’s much quicker than I expected.”
“This is actually a generous estimate. With the investment and know-how combined, it could proceed even faster.”
“I agree.”
“Next is the management team. Tim Conner and I will be part of the board of directors, and the CEO will be someone recommended by 【Natural Standard Fund】.”
Joe Murphy nodded, increasingly impressed by Lee Hyun-woo’s fresh ideas.
And he kept thinking,
‘Can’t I recommend myself?’
Why did he keep wanting to take charge of 【Jungle USA】?
Like a typical American who pursued practical benefits, he was not one to hide his ambitions.
So he politely requested a private evening meeting with Lee Hyun-woo.
No matter what, it’s not customary to be blunt from the start.
“Is there a reason you decided not to manage it directly? There are many multinational companies in the world, so you could proceed without a joint venture if you wanted to.”
“Yes, there is. It’s for a better work-life balance.”
“Work-life balance? To secure more personal time?”
“Yes. I think I only need to manage 【Jungle】 in Korea well. Since Korea is the fastest in building internet infrastructure, if it works here, it will work globally.”
“I agree with that.”
“However, localization is also important. Someone who knows Japan well should run 【Jungle Japan】, and someone who knows the U.S. well should run 【Jungle USA】. This way, each country can have its unique characteristics. Therefore, I concluded it would be better not to get too deeply involved myself.”
In other words, he was wrapping up his desire to work less and earn more.
Anyway, as soon as Lee Hyun-woo had that thought, he immediately contacted Tim Conner of 【Al Ta Beast】.
At that time, Tim Conner was also contemplating.
If 【Jungle】 created a portal site with investment from 【Natural Standard Fund】, would 【Al Ta Beast】 be able to compete?
No, they thought not, so they were considering other business models when Lee Hyun-woo’s call came.
Without hesitation, he gave the okay sign to the proposal to join hands.
“Although the business agreement needs to be readjusted, it’s not unusual for such things to take time.”
“That’s correct. You know very well. It’s hard to believe you’re so young.”
“Somehow, I’ve come to that conclusion. Maybe it’s because I’m almost sixty in business years.”
“What? What do you mean…”
Joe Murphy’s white eyebrows twitched.
Lee Hyun-woo, who was only twenty-eight, or twenty-six in American age, was talking about being sixty?
“Hahaha, I forgot to mention my retirement plans. My goal is to retire before I’m forty. So, considering I’m about ten years away from retirement, I guess I’m sixty in business years.”
Seeing a person just starting out in business talk about retirement, Joe Murphy looked bewildered.
‘Mr. Shin was right.’
He had heard that Lee Hyun-woo was an eccentric among eccentrics, and indeed, he surpassed the imagination of ordinary people.
So what about Joe Murphy?
He, too, was someone who made bold investments and moves that others couldn’t predict.
“I also have something I want to do one last time before I retire.”
“What is it?”
“If given the chance, I would like to lay the foundation for 【Jungle USA】.”
“……!”
