The site was revamped immediately.
Now, the webpage of 【Jungle】 has two sections.
One is internet auctions, and the other is online shopping.
Lee Hyun-woo, who was constantly monitoring the screen, hoping that users who had been coming to internet auctions would seamlessly transition to online shopping.
He heard Jang Yoo-chul’s voice.
“We’ve been counting since earlier, and we have more average daily users coming in than we did during the internet auctions.”
“Is that measurable?”
“Yes, it is.”
“Actually, discussions about our site revamp have been on PC communication boards for a few days. I think that might have influenced it.”
“Was it not promoted by Lee Jung-woo?”
“I did a little bit. But I didn’t do it last time either. Then I posted here and there, but this time, due to lack of time, I only posted in one or two places. I was surprised that people spread it like crazy.”
So, should it be called a sort of ‘opening buzz’?
Finally, Lee Hyun-woo’s face relaxed into a smile.
“But CEO, isn’t it about time to prepare another server?”
“How much longer do you think it can hold out?”
“We still have some leeway. But if users increase more than expected, we can’t guarantee it. It’s better to increase the server in advance to avoid future problems.”
“Okay, then let’s start looking into it.”
Once the questions started, Lee Jung-woo kept asking rapidly.
“What about One Computer? I heard production starts today.”
“Right, the timing is perfectly aligned.”
“That’s because you ordered the revamp to be done today by any means necessary….”
“People get lazy without deadlines.”
“Yet, sometimes you force me to leave work….”
Lee Jung-woo was treading a fine line.
This much should be considered playful banter.
A workplace that is too rigid is not enjoyable to stay in.
So, Lee Hyun-woo spoke with a smile.
“The deadline I mentioned was to get it done within working hours. Anyway, both of you worked hard, so let’s start monitoring now.”
“Yes, CEO.”
“Yes, CEO.”
“Yes, CEO.”
The last response was from three people.
A new female employee had joined.
Her name was Yoo Jin-young, and she looked very young.
She had just graduated from high school and was twenty years old.
Since she could feel uncomfortable with three men around, Lee Hyun-woo tried to be as considerate as possible.
Especially because she didn’t seem to have a sociable personality, having had almost no personal conversations outside of phone duties even after almost a week.
‘So far, I like her, though.’
Employee issues are always a headache for a boss.
Lee Hyun-woo hoped that neither 【Jungle】 nor 【One Computer】 would have such problematic people, and he got up to find Kim Yoon-soo.
The two companies were very close, so it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say they were within arm’s reach.
A few minutes of walking brought him to the factory, which was bustling with activity on the first day.
“Oh, CEO Lee, you’re here?”
“Yes, everything okay?”
“There shouldn’t be any problems. We’re just timing it right now.”
This meant they were measuring how long it took to assemble one unit.
Thinking they might have already done it, he asked.
“How long does it take?”
“The first one took about 10 minutes? There were some hiccups. Now it’s down to 7 minutes.”
“As they get more proficient, it could go under 5 minutes?”
“Exactly.”
Since they were assembling pre-made parts, under 5 minutes was a realistic goal.
Of course, this referred to pure assembly time.
Time for parts inspection at the front end and product inspection at the back end had to be calculated separately.
Still, producing twelve units per hour, minus lunch break, meant 96 units in an eight-hour day.
They were currently working in two places.
‘Humans aren’t machines, so let’s say between 80 and 90 units… with two lines, that’s 160 to 180 units.’
This was the initial daily production goal.
Kim Yoon-soo seemed to have similar thoughts, as he soon set a weekly goal.
“A thousand units a week wouldn’t be bad, right?”
“For now, yes. The important thing is how to sell them.”
“Of course, I’m relying on 【Jungle】.”
“If they don’t all sell, they become inventory.”
“True….”
Kim Yoon-soo, having been in business, knew the risks of inventory.
Thinking they could sell it later, they might end up with it gathering dust in a corner of the warehouse and eventually being discarded.
Increasing inventory meant potentially renting more warehouse space.
It all added up to costs.
Emphasizing inventory again, Lee Hyun-woo said.
“Eliminating inventory is also the boss’s job.”
“So, we’ll have to do sales for these assembled PCs, too.”
“Is there anything easy in the world? We have to do it, of course.”
Lee Hyun-woo spoke firmly to Kim Yoon-soo, who showed a lack of confidence in sales.
“I don’t know how it was before, but now you’re in a position to take responsibility for all those employees. Whether it’s sales or lobbying, as the boss, you have to sell the products by any means necessary.”
“That’s true, but…”
“That’s why I’m suggesting, there’s a place nearby worth visiting. Would you like to come with me?”
“Where? But shouldn’t I be here to supervise?”
“Set a target number. Just a bit challenging. You can check the numbers before lunch.”
Kim Yoon-soo demanded 100 units before lunch, perhaps feeling it was a bit too much, with an apologetic look on his face.
As Lee Hyun-woo took him somewhere, he said.
“I’ll have to buy you a nice lunch.”
“Then, what will you do next?”
“Hmm?”
“Today is the first day. On the first day, you should stick to average treatment. Think about times when performance might be less than today.”
“Got it, got it. Then, let’s go with Jajangmyeon.”
Lee Hyun-woo smiled broadly.
Then he finally told him the destination.
“Do you know what an internet cafe is?”
“What? Never heard of it.”
“Right? I heard they were doing construction nearby, so I wanted to check it out. Let’s go together.”
In fact, internet cafes are the precursor to PC bangs.
You could say they were in the very early stages.
For PC bangs to thrive, a mega-hit game like Starcraft would need to come out, but what if the affordable PCs swept the market before that?
‘I have to make it work, no matter what.’
A salesman should be able to sell a heater in Africa and an air conditioner in Alaska.
If this business was in its early stages, it was Lee Hyun-woo’s job to fan the flames for it to thrive.
So, a little later, they visited an internet cafe where construction was almost complete.
“Are they going to use computers here?”
“They’ll mainly play games.”
“Ah… but will this really be profitable?”
“It might not seem like it at first, but I think it’ll do well later. And from our perspective, we must sell our products assuming it will do well.”
“Then, that’s serious. At a glance, it looks like there are 30 to 40 units.”
“Yes, that’s right. And since the initial capital for the store shouldn’t be too high, a 1 million won computer is ideal!”
The internet cafe, with its interior work completely finished and computers installed, had around 40 PCs.
Actually, Lee Hyun-woo brought Kim Yoon-soo here to boost his confidence, seeing his nervous expression earlier.
‘He must have invested a lot of money.’
He didn’t ask how much he received from his father.
That was a personal matter.
But he knew the cost of parts to assemble one computer.
About 600,000 won.
Ten units would be 6 million won, and 100 units would be 60 million won.
He initially bought parts for 200 units, which meant he had already spent 120 million won, so it was natural to be scared.
Thus, Lee Hyun-woo suggested going to his own company next.
“Huh? Is there something else you want to teach me today?”
“Oh, come on, I’m not a teacher. I just have something to show you.”
“What is it?”
“I asked them to prepare an ‘event pop-up window’ last time. It pops up as soon as you access 【Jungle】.”
“What is that?”
“I just roughly wrote, ‘How to buy a computer for 1 million won.’ When you click it, it redirects to a webpage showing the special event of One Computer.”
This time, Kim Yoon-soo’s expression brightened genuinely.
“That’s great news. I hope it works.”
“Don’t expect too much on the first day.”
“Of course not. I just hope we don’t end up with too much inventory.”
“Oh, by the way, I limited it to 1,000 units.”
“A thousand units… it might take a month to sell all that?”
“I can’t guarantee it, but we’ll do our best.”
“Somehow, looking at your face, CEO Lee, it feels like you’re saying it can be done.”
“No way.”
Did he exude confidence without realizing it?
Actually, all Lee Hyun-woo knew was that the computer boom almost started this year.
‘If this doesn’t work, I’ll persuade the internet cafe owner we just saw to start a franchise.’
PC bangs were bound to spread eventually, so preparing now and igniting the trend next year wouldn’t be a bad idea.
But as soon as the two entered the company, it was chaos.
Lee Jung-woo and Jang Yoo-chul were glued to their computers, and Yoo Jin-young, the female employee, was busy on the phone.
“Hyung, ah… I mean, CEO, this is unbelievable. We’ve already received orders for 70 units.”
“What?”
It was currently eleven o’clock.
The event window had been up for just over an hour, and at this rate, they might run out of stock.
Lee Hyun-woo quickly said.
“Let them know there will be shipping delays!”
“Of course, we’ve been announcing it since earlier, and Yoo Jin-young has been informing them over the phone.”
He was dumbfounded.
He didn’t know what to say.
When Lee Hyun-woo looked around, he saw Kim Yoon-soo with a different look in his eyes.
“This is like… being in a fairy tale….”
“It seems people are flocking to One Computer because it’s cheaper than winning an auction.”
“What should we do? Can we keep up with this pace?”
“From now on, it’s a happy problem to have.”
“Haha….”
Kim Yoon-soo laughed, mixed with various emotions.
Thank goodness the start wasn’t slow.
‘By the way, Yongsan will be in an uproar, right?’
No matter how small the internet population was, word of mouth would spread if the price was low.
It wouldn’t be long before One Computer would storm the market as a low-cost PC.
It was like a catfish had appeared in a calm stream, and he was very curious about how Yongsan Electronics Market would react.
