Soon, the answer that Choi Seon-hwa wanted came from Lee Hyun-woo’s lips.
“Not bad.”
“What? Really? Are you serious?”
She was so surprised by his easy acceptance that she asked three times.
Then Lee Hyun-woo smiled and nodded.
“Yeah, honestly, venturing out alone is undoubtedly burdensome. Of course, I’m confident in success, but there’s always the need for speed compared to the investment.”
An example of this was the United States and Japan.
Both countries poured money into marketing with the capital power of Son Jung-yi and the 【Natural Standard Fund】.
Because of this, they compressed the period during which 【Jungle】 established itself in Korea and secured many users in a short time.
However, Hong Kong and Taiwan were different.
There were places willing to invest, but none as certain as the main entities in those two places.
So, Lee Hyun-woo was thinking of venturing out alone.
In other words, unlike the United States and Japan, he decided to establish and operate a branch office.
Additionally, he thought about focusing on broadening the base stably rather than speed.
‘If it’s 【Aejung Cosmetics】, which already has an organization in Hong Kong and Taiwan, I might be able to get help.’
This picture soon emerged.
【Aejung Cosmetics】 had ventured into Hong Kong and Taiwan with cost-effectiveness as a weapon, and recently, with the wave of the Korean Wave, it was sweeping through these two markets fiercely.
“Wow, it was just a casual suggestion, but you’re taking it seriously. I’m upset that I didn’t ask you sooner.”
“Indeed. I should have thought earlier that I could get more help from you when expanding into Hong Kong and Taiwan.”
“Help? Other than concerts, what help could there be? Oh, now that we can invest funds, there’s the power of money.”
“That’s right. With the power of money, we can strengthen marketing, so it definitely helps. But besides that, it would be great if we could borrow the power of your branch offices in Hong Kong and Taiwan.”
“What? You want to borrow the power of a cosmetics company?”
“Although it’s a cosmetics company, they must know the local market well, right? They must have hired many locals.”
“Of course.”
“That’s why it helps. Every business prospers more through localization, so if our developers consult with them, we can make a better portal site.”
What Lee Hyun-woo said was true.
Fundamentally, before being a cosmetics company and an information and communication company, both 【Aejung】 and 【Jungle】 had to be foreign companies.
Especially since the internet is culture, it wasn’t easy to compete with local companies catering to local tastes.
“In that case… I can help with anything, but I’m still not sure.”
“The most important thing in search is language processing. The range and scope related to search operations can expand infinitely due to the structure of each language. Therefore, from the beginning, we must ensure language processing in the search engine. 【Jungle Japan】 also has a separate research team of Japanese people, and by integrating the accumulated technology from that work with the engine we provided, they have a search system optimized for the Japanese market. Not to mention 【Jungle USA】, which was combined with 【Alta Vista】.”
Lee Hyun-woo tried hard to explain it easily, based on what he had heard from the tech team.
Even though it was a superficial understanding, knowing just the concept posed no problem, so Choi Seon-hwa quickly nodded.
“I get the gist of it. So, we should find developers through the local branch. Am I right?”
“I’d appreciate it if you could do that. Oh, we’ve veered off track, but you’re also participating in this 21st-century venture business market, right?”
“Of course. If I tell my mom, she will definitely want it.”
Even if that wasn’t the case, her mother, satisfied with 【Aejung Cosmetics】’s recent aggressive expansion, would not hesitate to invest in the information and communication company that Choi Seon-hwa brought in.
‘With this, I got another conglomerate to participate.’
Moreover, she felt like she had found a guide for 【Jungle】’s expansion into Hong Kong and Taiwan, which she was somewhat worried about, so today was a double success.
Riding this momentum, she contacted Son Jung-yi and Joe Murphy after returning to the company.
She also sent emails to the fund companies, and another day passed.
‘Why does time feel so short these days?’
It was that fulfilling.
She enjoyed a life with evenings free, and yet she finished her work thoroughly during work hours.
Meanwhile, Kim Ah-young also informed her father and brother about the 21st-century venture business market.
The reactions of both were quite positive.
“If it’s a government project, there’s no reason not to participate.”
“Moreover, I heard that Hyun-woo is also bringing in overseas fund companies? Then there’s no reason why a second 【Alpha Cast】 can’t emerge.”
In the past, people often talked about the second 【Jungle】.
But these days, even Kim Tae-hyun occasionally mentioned the second 【Alpha Cast】.
It wasn’t because the value of 【Jungle】 had declined.
It was because 【Alpha Cast】 had recently secured numerous contracts in Japan.
Not only did they secure exclusive online shopping sales prepared by 【Jungle Japan】, but they also signed contracts with various electronics distributors, so now they will make and export products to rake in money.
Even according to another piece of news from Japan, Japanese electronics companies were reportedly inquiring with 【Alpha Cast】 about making MP3 players by paying substantial royalties.
So, they wanted to bring money to the market where such information and communication companies were exposed.
Of course, Kim Sung-moo was more cautious than Kim Tae-hyun.
After sending his children away, he made calls here and there and began confirming the information Kim Ah-young had conveyed.
The conclusion came out during breakfast the next day.
“I contacted the policy bank, and they decided to participate. The head of the Ministry of Science and Technology personally promoted it.”
“Then there’s no need to hesitate. Since Ah-young is going, we will invest at the group level.”
“No, oppa. That’s separate. I’ll invest on my own.”
“What?”
“Last time, we did the same with 【Jungle Japan】. I think we should do it similarly this time.”
“Jeez, you’re making things complicated.”
“Complicated? It’s the mixing of money that’s complicated.”
“Alright, alright. We’ll do it that way.”
But Kim Sung-moo, who was listening to their conversation, thought with a gleam in his eye.
‘It would be interesting to see them compete this time.’
He was curious about which of his eldest son and eldest daughter had a better eye for business.
Then it happened.
“Can I join too?”
Another person quietly raised their hand, and it was none other than his second daughter, Kim Ah-jin.
Since his three children who had entered society were trying to prove themselves, Kim Sung-moo had no intention of stopping them.
So, he could only laugh.
“Hahaha, it seems that due to the information Ah-young brought, a lot of 【Guseong】’s funds will flow into information and communication.”
And so, Kim Sung-moo decided to precisely mention the purpose of this competition.
“By the way, I should give a prize to the one who invests in the best place. I’ll think about what it will be, so don’t compete too fiercely. Remember, you are blood-related. Understood?”
“Yes, Father.”
“Yes, I will.”
“Yes…”
As he said, the winner and the successor were unrelated.
They would just receive a prize.
However.
‘If Tae-hyun wins, it will prove his qualifications as a successor. And if Ah-young or Ah-jin wins, it will make Tae-hyun nervous, which is also good in its way.’
He came to this conclusion.
Last time, he clearly informed Kim Tae-hyun about the successor of 【Guseong】, but he was worried that it might make him complacent.
If the tension built up this time, he was sure Tae-hyun would strive harder.
So, deep down, he wished for Ah-young and Ah-jin to put up a good fight.
Whether they knew his thoughts or not, Kim Ah-jin spoke up once more.
“Since we’re competing, shouldn’t we set clear rules?”
“Rules?”
“Yes, it doesn’t seem right to just say the one who makes the most money wins. That would be most advantageous for oppa, and least advantageous for me.”
In terms of resources, it was true.
Kim Tae-hyun had the most assets.
Recently, Kim Ah-young had also earned a considerable amount here and there.
Naturally, Kim Ah-jin had no choice but to appeal her disadvantage.
Nodding his head, Kim Sung-moo said.
“That’s true. We should set some rules. Then let’s go with the return on investment. How about that?”
“Sure, that works.”
“I’m fine with it.”
“And one more thing.”
“Ah-jin, aren’t you taking this too seriously?”
“Exactly. Father hasn’t even mentioned what the prize is, and you’re getting so worked up.”
“Oppa and unnie can say that easily. But there’s one more thing we need to decide.”
“Sigh, what is it?”
“Go ahead.”
Eventually, Kim Tae-hyun and Kim Ah-young shook their heads and showed leniency towards Kim Ah-jin.
Then Kim Ah-jin brought up an interesting point.
“CEO Lee Hyun-woo.”
“What?”
“Why?”
“Should we decide whether to get his help or not?”
“……!”
“……!”
Kim Sung-moo still looked amused, while Kim Tae-hyun and Kim Ah-young exchanged glances.
It was something they hadn’t considered, but Kim Ah-jin’s words had a lot of implications.
“I’ve heard that CEO Lee Hyun-woo’s foresight in the information and communication sector is truly remarkable. He also has influence. Recently, the clothes sold by 【Jungle Shopping】 were no joke. I mean, the products from a specific company.”
“That’s because Seon-hwa and Na-yoon were blogging…”
“Exactly. That was also CEO Lee Hyun-woo’s idea.”
Kim Ah-jin countered Kim Ah-young’s words, leading to a debate between the sisters.
For reference, Kim Na-yoon went to school early in the morning.
“You also received help. 【First Apparel】 almost eliminated its inventory through its own online fashion mall.”
“You’re right. That was also CEO Lee Hyun-woo’s idea. So, we can’t deny his influence. For example, if one of the companies we invest in is promoted by 【Jungle】? Then, wouldn’t the person who invested in that company surely win?”
“So, you mean if 【Jungle】 promotes a place, it’s unfair?”
“It would naturally be eliminated from the competition. And one more thing. We shouldn’t get advice from Lee Hyun-woo. Or, everyone should have the opportunity to get his advice.”
In fact, Kim Ah-jin was deeply impressed by Lee Hyun-woo’s abilities.
The reason was simple.
Because of Lee Hyun-woo, the fashion industry was undergoing a seismic shift.
Currently, there were more than a few giant companies planning online fashion malls.
And they all mentioned 【Jungle Shopping】’s ingenious marketing.
That’s why Kim Ah-jin couldn’t help but hold him in high regard.
On the other hand, Kim Tae-hyun, sharply awakened by Kim Ah-jin’s last words, responded.
“Your words are reasonable. But it would be hard to prove later that no one received advice. How about going with the option where we can always get advice from Hyun-woo? In other words, 【Jungle】’s promotion is not allowed, but referencing Hyun-woo’s advice is.”
