On the way home, Lee Hyun-woo conveys a light but sincere message to Kim Ah-young.
“I feel like I’m really blessed.”
Kim Ah-young couldn’t help but smile at this, indicating she understood the meaning.
Still, she asks on purpose.
“Why?”
She wants to hear the reason directly from him.
“Isn’t it obvious? Because I met you. Thank you so much for today. I’ll do better from now on.”
“I’ll do better from now on too.”
The ‘better’ back-and-forth between the two seemed like it would become more frequent as their love deepened.
But currently, it was Kim Ah-young who was putting more heart into Lee Hyun-woo.
She reveals the reason.
“Actually, I… I haven’t had a really close friend until now.”
“Oh… really?”
“I think I said something like this before, but I’m saying it again.”
“Feel free to say whatever you want anytime. Without hiding anything. I’ll do the same. Anyway, so? Does that mean you’re glad I’m your friend and more?”
“That’s part of it… It also means I don’t want to lose you.”
Hearing Kim Ah-young’s sincerity, Lee Hyun-woo felt a mix of complex emotions.
People say the most unnecessary worry is worrying about the rich, but seeing Kim Ah-young, he couldn’t help but feel sorry.
Not having a friend to open your heart to.
How sad is that?
“Is your oppa the same?”
“My younger siblings probably feel the same. Maybe that’s why our youngest is so dedicated to blogging.”
“Is that so… What about other chaebols? For example, Seonhwa?”
“Hmm… I don’t know about others. But that’s how we are.”
“Got it.”
“Huh? Got what?”
“I should think about how to make more friends for you. That’s what I mean.”
Hearing this, Kim Ah-young smiled brightly.
Then she said,
“For me, you’re enough.”
Lee Hyun-woo couldn’t help but smile as well.
However, his mind was already filled with gratitude towards Kim Ah-young, and he wanted to find a way to repay her.
That’s why he checked her blog when he got home.
For reference, Kim Ah-young had two blogs.
One was under her name, and the other was ‘Anne’s Blog.’
Lee Hyun-woo already knew that ‘Anne’ was the name of Nostradamus’s wife.
Among these two blogs, Kim Ah-young’s blog had very few posts.
Instead, ‘Anne’s Blog’ was frequently updated, and it had nearly a thousand followers.
‘Ah, Ah-young enjoys her alter ego’s life more.’
Reading the posts on the blog, he could understand why it had so many followers.
Most posts were in line with Nostradamus.
Some even quoted the first editorial from 【Digital Sejong】, and the second editorial posted recently was analyzed in a similar nuance.
As a result, there were quite a few sharp insights.
- In my personal opinion, the Thai currency crisis is likely to spread across Asia.
The comments on her posts were also interesting to read.
You’re saying the same thing as Nostradamus.
I can see why, seeing the blog owner is ‘Anne.’ That’s the name of Nostradamus’s wife, right?
Are they perhaps lovers?
There were some sharp predictions, but since most commentators were active on Nostradamus’s blog, such jokes were possible.
‘Is it because of me that Ah-young is starting to recognize the crisis?’
Not only her, but there were occasional signs of awareness in the comments as well.
It made him feel a sense of accomplishment.
‘The more people recognize the economic crisis, the better we can prepare for the foreign exchange crisis.’
The movement of the Thai baht is already being sensed.
He could sense that hedge funds were trying to temporarily raise it and then suddenly pull out.
He had included this in his previous editorial, hoping that interested readers would read it well and not miss the trend.
In fact, if the public’s economic knowledge is high, the foreign exchange crisis can be quickly overcome.
Thinking positively like this,
‘There will be changes in the baht soon.’
When negative scenarios played out in his mind, Lee Hyun-woo couldn’t help but frown.
Personally, his affairs were going well, but the surrounding situation was bound to worsen, making him feel uneasy.
So he wished,
‘Hopefully, it won’t be as bad as the last life.’
Maybe because he had experienced it once?
Lee Hyun-woo’s foresight was on a different level.
The very next day.
Seeing the headline about the Thai baht, he truly deserved the title of Nostradamus.
『Is the Thai baht collapsing? 5% increase from the previous day’s exchange rate!』
A 5% increase in one day indicated that the baht was not in a normal state.
Naturally, the exchange rates of neighboring countries also fluctuated, and the Korean won couldn’t avoid being affected.
That day, the won rose by 20 won in a day, forming an exchange rate of 890 won per dollar.
A 20 won increase is a significant rise.
Because of this, Woo Sang-won came to discuss the exchange rate with Lee Hyun-woo near the end of the day.
“It looks like it will surpass 900 won tomorrow.”
“Yes, a rapid increase is not good.”
Lee Hyun-woo felt as if things were unfolding just as he had written in his editorial.
In that editorial, he had written that if an economic crisis occurred in our country, it would start with the exchange rate.
Woo Sang-won knew that Lee Hyun-woo was Nostradamus.
“Do you think an economic crisis will occur in our country?”
“I think an economic crisis will occur not only in our country but across Asia.”
“We need to be well-prepared. Fortunately, we’ve been able to profit from holding dollars and yen…”
This is true.
Previously, Woo Sang-won anticipated a volatile situation and converted the company’s reserves into foreign currency based on Shin Dong-woon’s proposal.
It looked like they were turning the current crisis into an opportunity, so Lee Hyun-woo smiled wryly but had no intention of criticizing his financial maneuvers.
‘Management is not about morality; it’s about pursuing profit, so I shouldn’t criticize it.’
Lee Hyun-woo thought that the current judgment would make the company’s employees trust Woo Sang-won even more.
Another outstanding young manager was born in 【Jungle】, he thought.
Lee Hyun-woo’s upcoming trip to the U.S. could also be a good opportunity for Woo Sang-won.
It was a chance to prove that 【Jungle】 could function well even in the absence of the top executive.
Proving this, Woo Sang-won brought up a new project while looking at Lee Hyun-woo.
“Um… I’ve been thinking about something, and I’d like some advice before you go to the U.S.”
“Please go ahead.”
“Seeing the clubs you established, some of them are connected to 【Jungle】’s business.”
“That’s right. The game club, for example, has become a development project.”
“Yes, that’s correct. The prototype of the game created by Director Lee will soon be completed. If it passes internal hurdles and goes into full development, it will be a success story of the company club. To be honest, I believe Director Lee’s game will be successful.”
The director he mentioned was Lee Jung-woo.
Knowing what game his younger brother was making, Lee Hyun-woo showed immediate interest.
“Really? Have you seen it?”
“Yes, the prototype came out, and the project team had a battle. It looked very fun even at a glance.”
Listening to Woo Sang-won, Lee Hyun-woo opened his eyes wide.
It wasn’t intentional, but seeing it progress so far naturally raised his expectations.
‘Isn’t this really going to be Space Craft made by my brother?’
He once again thought that he had underestimated his brother’s abilities in his past life.
At the same time, seeing those abilities blossom in this life made him proud.
Meanwhile, Woo Sang-won continued his proposal.
“Anyway, because of such good examples, I was wondering if, besides company clubs, we could encourage in-house startups. So I’m proposing this to you.”
“That’s not a bad idea. It’s very good.”
Not only was it good, but he also had something to propose.
“Can I offer an idea too?”
“Huh? You, CEO?”
A look of perplexity crossed Woo Sang-won’s face.
In-house startups are meant to generate new items and content based on the employees’ ideas.
But,
‘Although I know the CEO is an idea bank, if he does this, will the lower ranks come up with ideas autonomously?’
His thoughts were reflected on his face.
Seeing this, Lee Hyun-woo couldn’t help but notice.
“I mentioned it because I was thinking of a dual approach. One is top-down, and the other is bottom-up. I believe these two need to be balanced for the company to run well.”
“…Could you explain in more detail?”
“Top-down is a hierarchical structure where ideas are provided from above, and the lower ranks create them. The advantage of this method is that goals are clear and can be achieved in a short period. On the other hand, the bottom-up approach might take longer, but the sense of accomplishment from succeeding with their own ideas is maximized.”
Woo Sang-won understood immediately.
“Come to think of it, asking the lower ranks to brainstorm and create something is a top-down approach in itself. And there’s no reason not to use good ideas from above.”
“But you might have been hesitant because it didn’t align with your initial intent.”
“Honestly, I was, but listening to you, my thoughts are changing.”
“Nothing in the world is one-sided. The best way is to mix them appropriately. Personally, I want to compete with other employees. If there’s an idea better than mine, I’ll back down unconditionally.”
“Huh? Are you saying we should limit the number of in-house startups?”
“Did you plan to do it indefinitely?”
“No… I hadn’t thought about that. I have a lot to learn.”
“In-house startups are a great idea.”
Lee Hyun-woo briefly encouraged Woo Sang-won.
But what’s wrong is wrong.
“But if you encourage in-house startups and accept all ideas, no one will do their original work. Limit it to two or three and select the best ones after competition.”
“Yes, I’ll do that.”
“For your reference, I will only provide ideas and won’t take a single penny from the profits generated by in-house startups.”
“Oh, we also need to discuss what to do if the content pushed by in-house startups becomes hugely successful.”
“That also needs to be divided into two. If it’s top-down, it should be nurtured within the company, and if it’s bottom-up, independence should be guaranteed.”
“Yes, I was considering guaranteeing independence. Should we also invest when they become independent?”
“Of course. If our employees establish a new company and grow, there’s nothing better. So, we should support them.”
“We need to continue refining this.”
“Please have a concrete plan ready by the time I return from the U.S. For your reference, I’ll reveal my idea in advance.”
“What is it?”
“I miss you, my friend! That’s it.”
