Usangwon immediately asked Lee Hyun-woo.
“Are you perhaps talking about a handheld PC?”
“Handheld PC? What is that?”
It was a technical term he had never heard before, so he had no choice but to ask honestly.
“Actually, there are three types of PCs: desktops, laptops, and handhelds. They are used on a desk, on your lap, and in your hand, respectively.”
It seemed to make sense.
But aren’t the other two PCs, aside from desktops, premature?
‘What’s premature when you’ve already thought about mobile operating systems?’
For now, it seemed like laptops, or notebooks, should be excluded.
After all, they would use the same operating system as desktops.
“A handheld PC must be small.”
“Yes, it is. Smaller than the other two.”
“I’d like to see what it looks like.”
“You can probably find it if you search online.”
“Really?”
“Yes, let me show you for a moment.”
Usangwon moved over to Lee Hyun-woo’s side and grabbed the keyboard.
And then, clickety-clack, he typed on the keyboard, and indeed, handheld PCs were quickly found.
“The other day, we extensively shared data from 【Altavista】, so finding data from the U.S. is easy.”
“It seems so.”
Once again, Lee Hyun-woo discovered a factor for the success of 【Jungle USA】 in America.
Combining the data from the former 【Altavista】 with 【Jungle】’s technology, who wouldn’t use it?
Currently, people are more familiar with 【Yahoo】, but they might eventually move over to 【Jungle USA】.
Anyway.
“So, it looks like this.”
The handheld PC, which looked like a foldable electronic calculator, caught Lee Hyun-woo’s eye.
At the same time, an idea struck his mind,
‘Perhaps through handheld PCs, mobile integration occurs, followed by PDAs, and eventually, smartphones are born?’
Even if not, it didn’t matter.
This needed to be made.
“Then, does this PC’s operating system have anything to do with Windows?”
“It runs on DOS, so yes, it does.”
“Oh, I see…”
“However, since this PC is not yet commercialized, you don’t need to worry about it.”
“Yes, I won’t.”
“But surely the operating system you mentioned isn’t for this PC, right?”
“No, I was talking about one for mobile phones.”
“Ah…”
Usangwon’s gaze, filled with astonishment, fixed on Lee Hyun-woo.
Even though Lee Hyun-woo had mentioned dreaming big and bringing forward the era of using the internet on mobile phones, wasn’t this too much?
“Sir, I’m sorry, but any operating system is only useful if there’s hardware to support it.”
“That’s true. Still, I’d like to create an operating system for handheld PCs, but I won’t insist.”
Lee Hyun-woo’s characteristic is to retreat cleanly when needed.
However, often his retreats are not genuine.
You could say it’s a step back for two steps forward.
Shortly after Usangwon left, he immediately called Kim Tae-hyun to arrange a meeting.
The reason was simple.
‘I can’t discard the idea that came to mind because of the handheld PC.’
He values the ideas discovered in his mind more than tangible inventions.
The next day.
“It’s been a while. How have you been?”
Kim Tae-hyun greeted Lee Hyun-woo with a somewhat sophisticated vocabulary.
“It’s more delightful to meet occasionally.”
“That might be true, but I want to be someone you’re happy to see even if we meet every day.”
It seemed to have an underlying meaning, and although Lee Hyun-woo roughly sensed it, he pretended not to and smiled slightly.
‘If I ever get married, it will be with Ah-young.’
For now, to avoid complications, he made this promise to himself and then spoke up again.
“I know you’re busy, but I asked to meet because I want you to create a product.”
“What? A product?”
“Yes, a Personal Digital Assistant, in other words, a PDA.”
“What’s that?”
“It’s a device for personal use, like a computer. But it should be operable by touching the screen.”
“Whoa, whoa. Slow down. You need to give me some time to digest this. And are you now seeing our company as a subcontractor for 【Jungle】?”
“I’m sorry if it sounded that way. I mentioned it because I think the only companies that could technically implement this device are 【Guseong Electronics】 or 【GB Electronics】.”
Kim Tae-hyun slightly raised an eyebrow.
Lee Hyun-woo subtly included 【GB Electronics】, which pricked the pride of the 【Guseong】 family.
“If it’s a touchscreen, that’s possible. But they’re not our match.”
“Yes, of course. That’s one reason I wanted to meet you, hyung.”
“You cleverly mentioned our rival 【GB】 and then slipped away like an eel.”
“Think of me as a big catch. Catching me will bring good fortune to 【Guseong】.”
“I know. That’s why our whole family is trying to catch you. Your attitude is just ambiguous.”
“I’ve always been clear. Your sister knows that very well.”
Lee Hyun-woo subtly conveyed the current state of their relationship.
Kim Tae-hyun understood the implication and nodded.
“Alright. A personal device with a touchscreen. Well, there’s no law saying we can’t make it. But we can’t make it for you. As I said earlier, we’re not a subcontractor for 【Jungle】.”
“Then let’s go the other way. You make it at 【Guseong】, and we’ll sell it through our online shopping mall.”
“Well, that sounds good.”
In the end, Kim Tae-hyun was hooked.
Despite being a tough character, he was always in Lee Hyun-woo’s palm.
“Instead, please allow us to create the operating system.”
Kim Tae-hyun looked at Lee Hyun-woo again.
He felt like he had been tricked, but decided not to be petty.
“You seem to want to create something. Alright, I’ll set the stage for you.”
“Thank you. I’m sure it will be of great help to 【Guseong】. By the way, I’d like it to look even better.”
“What else?”
“I’d like you to call our company and place an order to create the PDA operating system.”
“PDA? Ah… you’re abbreviating that thing from earlier? Like a PC?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, I’ll do that. But I’ll spread some related information to the media.”
“Sure, go ahead.”
【Guseong】 was famous for using the media effectively.
They would announce products before making them and gauge public interest before starting production.
Of course, this time they intended to make it unconditionally at Lee Hyun-woo’s request, but Kim Tae-hyun hadn’t yet decided whether it was a project or a step towards commercialization.
Nowadays, immediate reactions from 【Jungle】’s portal site helped him decide.
“Now, shall I tell you something?”
“What?”
“You’ve said what you wanted, and I’ve agreed, so now it’s my turn.”
“No, but I’m the one who asked to meet today?”
“Well, if you hadn’t asked to meet, I was going to contact you.”
“……”
He had nothing to say to that.
“What is it?”
“There’s an alumni meeting coming up. Let’s go together.”
“An alumni meeting? But we already had one this year?”
Technically speaking, Lee Hyun-woo was Kim Tae-hyun’s junior from the same university.
So, when Kim Tae-hyun mentioned ‘alumni meeting,’ Lee Hyun-woo thought he meant the one from 【Korea University】.
“There’s another one, different from that.”
“……”
“It’s not well-known, but many seniors who are active in various fields attend. You should get acquainted with them.”
Lee Hyun-woo roughly understood the identity of the alumni meeting Kim Tae-hyun was talking about.
It was likely a gathering of superpowers from the business, political, media, and legal sectors who graduated from 【Korea University】 and moved the country.
“I assure you, it will be completely different from the atmosphere of our family gatherings last time. No one will make things difficult for you or bother you, so come with me. Understand?”
Since Kim Tae-hyun had agreed to his request, it was hard for Lee Hyun-woo to refuse. He awkwardly smiled and nodded.
“Yes, I will.”
He wondered if this was an unexpected opportunity to connect with many superpowers who move the nation.
It seemed like Kim Tae-hyun was a person who kept his promises promptly.
The next day, Usangwon rushed to the CEO’s office.
“Sir, we’ve received a contact from 【Guseong】.”
Lee Hyun-woo pretended to be surprised and asked.
“What kind of contact?”
“There’s quite a bit. First, they asked if we could hold an electronics event through our online shopping mall. I’ve already given the OK for that. But they also said they’re making a product and requested us to create an operating system for it.”
The online electronics event wasn’t something they had discussed the previous day.
It seemed like a bonus, but it would end up being a win-win for both sides.
However, the latter, the product creation and operating system request, was a fulfillment of Lee Hyun-woo’s request, for which he was subtly grateful.
“Surely it’s not the handheld PC we talked about yesterday?”
“No, it’s somewhat similar but different. They’re making a product called a PDA, a Personal Digital Assistant. They want to use our operating system.”
“In other words, they’re asking us to be a subcontractor.”
“If you put it that way, yes, but I think it could be elevated to a business partnership.”
In the current situation, it was essentially the same.
However, Usangwon seemed to have some doubts and asked Lee Hyun-woo.
“The timing seems a bit coincidental. Did you mention the operating system to 【Guseong】?”
“Why would I? And even if I did, do you think they could just make it like that? 【Guseong】 is no pushover.”
“Well, that’s true…”
Usangwon tilted his head.
No matter how he thought about it, the timing was too perfect for 【Guseong】 to contact them right after discussing the operating system the previous day.
Especially since Lee Hyun-woo had said there was no need to develop a PC operating system.
‘Well, creating an operating system for a Personal Digital Assistant is a new challenge.’
Considering the effort put into development so far, they should be grateful for 【Guseong】’s request.
Although it would require significantly modifying the operating system they had been developing, at least it was something.
“Understood. I’ll instruct them to start development immediately.”
“I’ll stir up some hype in the media.”
“What? Oh, alright…”
As soon as the media was mentioned, Usangwon tensed up.
If it made it to the news, it would mean they had to succeed and create it properly.
At the same time,
“While you’re at it, please also consider developing an operating system for mobile phones.”
Lee Hyun-woo finally shared the big picture he had in mind.
Though it was in the realm of imagination, Usangwon smiled broadly.
“Yes, understood.”
He hadn’t forgotten Lee Hyun-woo’s previous words.
To change the world together.
‘Alright, let’s give it a try.’
To sell MP3 files, they had induced ADSL and MP3 players. Why couldn’t they create a mobile phone for an operating system?
Recently, thanks to Lee Hyun-woo, Usangwon often felt his blood boiling.
That’s why he was clenching his fist right now.
