Lee Hyun-woo, who had just heard an unexpected proposal, spent a few seconds running through dozens of scenarios in his mind.
Of course, the two main branches were whether to accept the investment or not, and the stories that would stem from each choice.
Clearly, if he chose the former, he could grow faster.
There were many examples of this.
Companies like 【Macro Soft】, 【Pineapple】, 【Yaho】, 【Single】, 【Amazoness】, and 【Face Note】 all received initial investments and rapidly dominated the IT industry.
‘But that was in the United States.’
Unfortunately, in our country, ‘investment’ often transforms into a desire for ‘ownership.’
Our country frequently sees occurrences of businesses being passed down to blood relatives, something not as common in the United States, Japan, or even China.
This was partly due to systemic issues, but it could also be attributed to the characteristics of the Korean people.
‘Even if I do accept it, now is not the time.’
Receiving investment in the early stages would mean giving away a significant portion of equity.
Lee Hyun-woo didn’t know if Kim Yoon-soo’s father was someone with a strong desire for ownership, but he decided it was better to cut off any potential issues from the start. He opened his mouth to speak.
“I’m sorry, but I plan to grow the company on my own.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes, I’m sorry.”
“No need to apologize. In fact, I appreciate your healthy thinking, CEO Lee. Hahaha.”
Kim Yoon-soo, who was initially taken aback by the rejection, eventually showed a friendly gaze.
Lee Hyun-woo exchanged pleasantries with him and left 【One Computer】.
However, as he walked shoulder to shoulder with Han Se-jin, he noticed that Se-jin occasionally struggled to keep pace. When he looked back, he saw her taking out a notebook and writing something down.
Catching Lee Hyun-woo’s gaze, Han Se-jin quickly closed her notebook and put it in her pocket.
“Are you taking notes?”
“Yes.”
“It’s a good habit. But was there something to take notes on just now?”
“I just recorded it as it happened…”
“What did you write?”
“The CEO declined the investment. Aiming to grow the company independently. Kim Yoon-soo, the president of 【One Computer】 and an investor, was impressed.”
Lee Hyun-woo felt a moment of absurdity at the content being recorded exactly as it had happened.
‘This character is quite interesting.’
However, he thought it was a very good habit for the new employee, Han Se-jin, to record everything in detail.
So, as they entered the Yongsan Electronics Market a little later, he said outright,
“Take out your notebook. From now on, you don’t have to put it away in front of me. Note-taking is a habit that should be praised.”
“Yes, CEO.”
At the same time, he began to provide various details to help her with her records.
“【One Computer】 is a very close partner of ours. The better that company does, the more it benefits 【Jungle】. So, always observe when you visit in my place. But don’t give advice unnecessarily.”
“Yes, CEO.”
Lee Hyun-woo quickly realized that Han Se-jin had a tendency to stay in the middle ground.
This was actually a matter of perception, and it was a universal truth that perceptive people excelled in sales.
It was the same when they entered the Yongsan Electronics Market. He showed her how he interacted with people like Hwang Il-ho, the CEO of 【Strawberry PC】.
It was part of managing clients in his own way.
At 【Sangil Trading】, which dealt with returned electronics, he proposed an event.
Naturally, he proved that the two computer companies were selling well.
He was quite pleased with Han Se-jin, who meticulously recorded all these processes.
It felt like watching a student with a strong desire to learn.
There was a reason he kept playing the role of the teacher today.
“Customers have very different tendencies. Some value what they see with their own eyes, while others are easily persuaded by a few words. You need to learn this while accompanying me.”
“Yes, CEO.”
“Shall we call it a day then?”
For some reason, Han Se-jin didn’t answer right away.
She thought it might not be appropriate to seem happy about finishing work when it was only lunchtime, believing that this was not what CEO Lee Hyun-woo wanted to see.
This was also due to her perception.
She thought maybe she could score more points with a question.
With this in mind, she carefully opened her mouth.
“Um…”
“Yes, go ahead.”
“Just like you mentioned at 【One Computer】 earlier, won’t we also face competitors?”
Sure enough, Han Se-jin’s question hit the mark.
Lee Hyun-woo nodded with a satisfied expression.
“Good question. Shall we discuss this over lunch?”
“Yes, CEO.”
Perception cannot be taught.
In that sense, Lee Hyun-woo thought he had made a good hire, and he answered the new employee’s questions while they were at the restaurant.
“Do you think it would be better for us to have competitors in our current situation or not?”
“Hmm…”
“Please share your personal thoughts.”
“Of course, I think it would be better to have a monopoly, but judging by your expression, it doesn’t seem like that’s the case?”
Once again, Han Se-jin showcased her perceptiveness.
Feeling like giving her high marks as a sales employee from day one, Lee Hyun-woo smiled.
“Monopoly is certainly good. But sometimes competitors are necessary.”
“Perhaps to provide some stimulation?”
“Why would that be? We’re not athletes.”
“Then…”
“It’s because of the ecosystem.”
“The ecosystem?”
“For example, in our info-communications industry, if we were to sell products online alone, we could monopolize the market, but expansion wouldn’t be easy. However, if several competitors emerged, the industry would become known more quickly. People would know that such shopping exists. Why? Because those competitors would also strive to promote it.”
“Oh…”
“But there are competitors I welcome, and those I don’t.”
“You were welcoming them earlier, so please tell me about the ones you don’t welcome.”
“Companies with technology and a lot of money? I think you might know why, Han Se-jin.”
“Ah, yes… If a large corporation with lots of funds enters the market, 【Jungle】’s market dominance will be quickly taken away. They would hold events with massive partners, which would be no match for 【One Computer】.”
“Ding dong, correct.”
She was not only perceptive but also smart.
So, Lee Hyun-woo felt eager to assign Han Se-jin some tasks, and after thoroughly explaining the ecosystem over lunch, he said as they left the restaurant,
“Now 【Jungle】 needs to expand its product range beyond computers. Please research this by the end of this week. It’s your homework.”
“Ah, yes… I will do that, CEO.”
This time, her expression was full of enthusiasm.
Han Se-jin, a social novice two years younger than Lee Hyun-woo, having graduated from a technical college.
Lee Hyun-woo was curious about what novel ideas this young person would come up with.
Not that it would matter, as it would still be within Lee Hyun-woo’s grasp, who had experienced the future.
Even now, as he watched Han Se-jin jotting down something, he silently cheered her on with anticipation.
‘Grow well.’
He had no doubt that Lee Jung-woo and Jang Yoo-chul would grow into engineers responsible for 【Jungle】’s technology.
But there were limits to a company’s growth based solely on technology.
Rather, it was essential to have talents who could integrate that technology into business and rapidly scale it up.
At this stage, since he couldn’t recruit such talents, he had no choice but to nurture each incoming person into a talent.
Fortunately, Lee Hyun-woo had heard these words in his previous life.
【He’s incredibly good at nurturing people】
No wonder the talent development department, which was in charge of new employee training each year, had invited Lee Hyun-woo as a guest lecturer.
With that ability combined with his experience, he seemed destined to become the best talent trainer in this life.
In other words, the new employee Han Se-jin was lucky to have met a good mentor.
As time passed and Saturday arrived, Lee Hyun-woo watched Han Se-jin come into work.
Knowing the meaning behind Lee Hyun-woo’s gaze, Se-jin spoke with a somewhat deflated expression.
“I couldn’t come up with the answer.”
“There is no correct answer.”
As the two engaged in a Zen-like dialogue, the attention of Lee Jung-woo, Jang Yoo-chul, and Yoo Jin-young was drawn to them.
Feeling more burdened, Han Se-jin’s expression turned even more uncomfortable.
“Yes, I understand that. But it felt like there was a correct answer.”
“I asked you to think about it, not to get it right.”
“I really wanted to get it right. So honestly… it’s driving me crazy.”
Lee Hyun-woo laughed at Se-jin’s tearful face.
But then, her next words wiped the smile off his face.
“For now, I think the shipping cost should be minimal.”
“Why is that?”
“Because it’s burdensome for both buyers and sellers. Ah, please wait a moment.”
Saying this, Se-jin began to take something out.
It was her notebook.
Expecting it to be filled with notes, Lee Hyun-woo’s eyes sparkled.
Soon, Han Se-jin began to speak again, referencing her notebook.
“Expensive items like computers are ordered online, considering the shipping cost, right? Moreover, since they’re expensive outside the online market, people don’t mind the shipping cost as much if the price is low.”
“That’s correct.”
“So, other high-priced items include electronics, but they are usually dealt with by large companies, so I’m not sure if they would trade with us. They have their own shipping systems.”
“That’s right.”
“Furthermore, they have their own capital. As you mentioned last time, it wouldn’t be good if a ‘capital-strong large corporation’ entered this business, as it would provide an opportunity for them to dominate the market.”
“You’re right again.”
What she had mentioned so far was more suitable for auctions.
In other words, it was premature for now.
Therefore, Lee Hyun-woo thought it wasn’t bad that Se-jin had narrowed it down this much.
But that wasn’t the end.
“So I thought about postal services.”
“Post?”
“Yes, products that can be delivered in an envelope.”
“And then?”
“That’s as far as I got. I haven’t figured out what to put in the envelope yet.”
Her expression changed from tearful to frustrated.
At that moment, a slightly shy voice came from Yoo Jin-young.
“Tickets…”
Lee Hyun-woo’s gaze shifted.
Everyone else followed his gaze to the twenty-year-old female employee.
Being suddenly the center of attention made Yoo Jin-young’s young face blush.
When would she be able to stop feeling embarrassed every time she spoke up?
“Well… I was just thinking. It’s something that can be put in an envelope, and it might be hard to get.”
“What is it?”
“I was just thinking…”
“Just finish your thought.”
“Actually, I tried to buy a ticket for the hip-hop group ‘Double’s’ concert recently, and I lined up early in the morning but couldn’t get one. If we could help people get these tickets and deliver them, there were many people shouting they’d pay extra… Oh, and I feel the same way.”
Hearing this, a smile spread across Lee Hyun-woo’s face.
Recently, ‘Double’s’ song had been playing so much on the streets that it seemed to have lodged itself in his ears.
Even now, he could faintly hear it outside.
【… Look back, at me, look back, at me…】
Lee Hyun-woo let the nostalgic lyrics pass through one ear and said,
“We have our answer.”
“Huh?”
“No way…”
“Not only hard-to-get tickets but all tickets in general are the answer. Providing a service that delivers tickets for concerts, movies, or sports events without the hassle of going to the venue. That’s what we should be selling.”
And this was why Lee Hyun-woo had hired a sales employee.
From now on, she would have to run around meeting theater and concert officials, among others.
After observing her throughout the week, he felt confident she could do it well.
‘By the way, am I good at selecting employees, or do good employees naturally find their way to me?’
Or perhaps his talent nurturing skills were already beginning to show.
