A few days later, on Sunday, the entire family of the 【Guseong】 was gathered for breakfast after a long time.
Chairman Kim Sung-moo takes this opportunity to check on his children’s daily lives.
“Nayoon, I heard your grades have dropped recently.”
“No, they haven’t. Mom said that, right?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“Then how does Dad know?”
At that moment, Kim A-jin stepped in.
“I told him.”
“Wow, second unnie, you’re really petty. You weren’t even good at studying yourself.”
“But I worked hard. You’re smarter than me but you don’t try.”
“How would someone who studied abroad know that?”
“I can tell by looking at your blog. You post all sorts of things about what you’re doing there… Dad, take her digital camera away. She’s the only one who has one and gets carried away posting photos and writing blogs.”
Kim Sung-moo nods.
“Alright, your digital camera is confiscated for now. I’ll return it after you finish your senior year. Bring it to my office today. Got it?”
“Dad!”
“I won’t say it twice.”
“Wow, this is so unfair. And…”
Kim Na-yoon glared at Kim A-jin.
“I’m cutting ties with you, second unnie. Just go to Italy already.”
“I’m not going for a while. Actually, once I take my exams next month, my tedious study abroad will be over.”
“Guys, let’s eat. I can’t tell if the food is going into my mouth or my nose with all this noise.”
Kim Tae-hyun, who had been watching his two younger sisters bicker, finally intervened.
After telling them to be quiet, he casually brought up a topic he wanted to discuss.
“I’m going to the alumni meeting with Hyun-woo next week.”
“Already?”
“Yes, the alumni secretary insists I bring him along.”
“That guy has really grown up.”
“He has. Recently, Son Jung-yi came to Korea and announced in an interview that 【Jungle】 is entering the online shopping and music business.”
“Yeah, I saw that in the newspaper… But you and Ah-young weren’t involved this time.”
Here, ‘you two’ refers to Kim Tae-hyun and Kim Ah-young, and ‘weren’t involved’ means the two content ventures into the Japanese market—online shopping and music.
Kim Ah-young remained silent while Kim Tae-hyun quickly offered an explanation.
“Japan doesn’t have ADSL fully installed like our country. I think it’s too early for music services. Moreover, for online shopping to be feasible, logistics and delivery are crucial, and I don’t think 【Software Bank】 has established that yet.”
Kim Ah-young countered.
“The music service is supposed to launch after autumn. By then, download speeds in most areas of Tokyo should be secured. And for logistics and delivery, Son Jung-yi is partnering with other companies, just like how 【Jungle】 teamed up with logistics companies like 【Korea Express】.”
“But the geography of Japan and our country is different. In this case, the smaller the country, the more advantageous it is, Father.”
When the baton passed back to Kim Sung-moo, he nodded and answered.
“Well, if you look at it positively, that could be true.”
“Anyway, I think we can wait and see how the joint venture between 【Jungle】 and 【Software Bank】 pans out before making a move. For now, I believe we should focus more on mobile phones.”
“When did they say they would release the integrated MP3 player?”
“In two months. And since we were just talking about digital cameras, I’d like to mention that I previously suggested integrating cameras into mobile phones. That will take a little more time. Maybe around autumn or winter?”
“That doesn’t sound bad.”
At this point, Kim Sung-moo looks at Kim Na-yoon, whose eyes are sparkling, and smiles.
“Seeing Na-yoon, I think there might be demand from the younger generation.”
“If we negotiate a reasonable price with the telecom companies, it should work. Also, I have another experimental idea. It’s called a personal digital assistant, or PDA for short. It’s like a handheld computer. And I plan to get some help from 【Jungle】 for that.”
“Help? What kind of help?”
“I asked them for the operating system. I’m thinking of creating it with a future outlook in mind.”
“Isn’t the trend moving from desktops to laptops? Why a PDA? I don’t even know what it looks like.”
“I think I’ll only understand once I make it. And our economic research center did predict a trend from desktops to laptops. However, I believe PDAs will serve a different purpose, so I recently instructed the relevant department to conduct market research.”
As they conversed, Kim Sung-moo sensed something.
The PDA mentioned was likely Lee Hyun-woo’s idea.
Knowing his son, this speculation was plausible.
“Is that rascal experimenting with something new?”
In 【Guseong】, bold challenges had only been taken by the founder, his father, and himself.
In such situations, there was no market research or anything. They just relied on intuition and pushed forward.
Now, as he grew older, he approached things more cautiously and was stepping back to let his son take the lead.
“I thought you’d push forward boldly in your youth, but you’re always so cautious.”
Kim Tae-hyun only attempted things that had a high chance of success.
It was disappointing, but his son had his own philosophy.
- Father, I believe 【Guseong】 should focus on properly managing the current successful items rather than taking on high-risk ventures. Even the kings of the Joseon Dynasty did so. Taejo founded the dynasty, Taejong made bold challenges, and Sejong achieved a golden age with inherited legacies.
It was both brazen and had some flaws, but it wasn’t a bad strategy, so he didn’t criticize it.
However, lately, there had been a lot of changes.
Specifically, Kim Tae-hyun was positively influenced by Lee Hyun-woo’s tremendous spirit of challenge.
“Yes, you need to take on some challenges.”
Even his eldest daughter was greatly influenced by Lee Hyun-woo.
Was that why?
Seeing that the conversation with Kim Tae-hyun was roughly over, his eldest daughter Kim Ah-young boldly made a proposal.
“I have a business proposal as well.”
“Hmm?”
“How about we create an online shopping mall?”
“Haha, this dining table has turned into a business discussion venue. Alright, since the topic came up, let’s discuss it thoroughly.”
Kim Sung-moo thought that Kim Ah-young had more of a spirit of challenge than Kim Tae-hyun.
So, he listened closely, and an unexpected story came out.
“Not just any shopping mall, but a fashion mall. By the way, there’s word that 【Aejeong Apparel】 is also preparing one. 【Jungle】 has already laid out the basic framework. So, I’ve also laid out the basic framework with Hyun-woo’s help.”
“You’ve laid out the framework?”
“Yes, I even made a plan.”
He didn’t expect such preparation, so Kim Sung-moo’s eyebrows raised.
“But a fashion mall has nothing to do with your company.”
“Of course. Ah-jin is now working at 【First Woolen】. If I had to put it in words, it’s a gift for her joining the company.”
“So, you’re going to take care of Ah-jin with your idea?”
“To be precise, it’s Hyun-woo’s idea. If you look at the proposal, it’s definitely viable.”
“Hmm…”
Now, even Kim Sung-moo’s attention was drawn to the words ‘Hyun-woo’s idea’ like a magnet.
He liked challenges, and 【Jungle】, which was growing uniquely in Korean corporate history, seemed like a guarantee.
“Bring the proposal after we finish eating. Ah-jin, you come too.”
“Yes, Dad.”
Kim Ah-jin responded as sweetly as possible.
She was also fascinated by Lee Hyun-woo’s ideas.
And she had already heard from her sister Kim Ah-young the night before.
I want to repay you for giving the dyeing job to 【First Woolen】 last time.
No need to repay. Like I said, I’ll use your hotel whenever I want.
That’s that, but this is Hyun-woo’s idea.
Really?
Yes, Hyun-woo said he’d make a shopping mall website with great care.
What’s that? A shopping mall website? Is that viable?
You might not know, but all the websites Hyun-woo outsourced recently have been successful.
As she browsed through the various sites shown to her by Kim Ah-young, Kim Ah-jin was amazed at the extent of Lee Hyun-woo’s imagination.
Especially the internet headhunter platform, which clearly had many companies and job seekers using it.
- The operators of these websites were originally small business owners we met at the ‘21st Century Venture Business Association.’
Kim Ah-jin, as she browsed the websites, received detailed explanations from Kim Ah-young.
Even now, it was the same.
The internet headhunter platform is currently a subcontractor of 【Jungle】, and many media outlets are covering it extensively, predicting rapid growth.
- It’s like a second 【Alpha Cast】. You know that company, right? The one that makes MP3 players?
Of course, Kim Ah-jin nodded.
And she thought,
“If there’s a genius in this world, it must be Lee Hyun-woo.”
Shortly after, while looking through Kim Ah-young’s proposal, meticulously designed based on Lee Hyun-woo’s ideas, her father, Kim Sung-moo, who was usually stingy with compliments, spoke in an excited tone.
“According to the plan, it requires little capital and can clear out inventory in one go.”
“Yes, exactly. So, shall we proceed? Or rather, should we let Ah-jin handle it?”
“Ah-jin.”
“Yes, Father.”
“Do you think you can do it?”
“Yes, I’ll try.”
Kim Ah-jin straightened her voice and nodded firmly.
She too wanted to be recognized by Kim Sung-moo, just like her brother and sister.
So, if this first project she undertook was a great success?
“Father will acknowledge me.”
There is still a lot to change in Korean society.
Daughters, not sons, still feel desperate to prove their presence.
“By the way, I should thank Hyun-woo oppa, who will be my brother-in-law.”
How should she get closer to him?
The decision was quick and the deliberation short.
As she left her father’s office, she simply asked her sister.
“I want to meet CEO Lee Hyun-woo.”
“Hmm?”
“His idea has become my first project. I should treat him.”
Kim Ah-young laughed and said.
“Okay, I’ll talk to him.”
Kim Ah-young thought.
She hoped her sister would learn a lot about fashion through this opportunity.
“Even though you’re better at design, he’s the best at distributing and selling it.”
Moreover, she thought they should strengthen their bond.
That way, 【First Woolen】 could help Lee Hyun-woo’s father’s company even more.
“Closing the gap should be ongoing.”
Recently, a phone conversation with Lee Jung-woo replayed in Kim Ah-young’s mind.
Sister-in-law, father has finally begun to dream big.
What kind of dream?
Clothing. He wants to enter the clothing business. It’s all thanks to you. Giving jobs to 【First Woolen】 and 【Aejeong Apparel】 seems to have given him a lot of courage.
Wow, that’s great.
And one more piece of good news.
What is it?
My brother said he would actively help.
Was it because she was so enamored with Lee Hyun-woo?
As soon as she heard that, she felt like Lee Hyun-woo’s father’s business would flourish instantly.
