At that moment, Lee Jung-woo was on the phone with Lee Hyun-woo.
(Before I come, this might make headlines, so I’m telling you in advance. Ah-young and I are officially dating now.)
“Officially? So, it was unofficial before?”
(The media has completely caught on, and it’s going to be reported soon.)
“I know.”
(You know?)
“Yeah, I heard about it over the phone. People who returned from there also told me.”
Hyun-woo’s voice becomes slightly hoarse here.
Then he speaks again.
(Please break the news to our parents gently, so they don’t get too shocked.)
“Yeah, I got it.”
What a dutiful son.
As always, I feel a bit jealous, thinking I can’t even come close to my brother in every aspect.
But being dutiful to parents isn’t necessarily related to ability.
‘Should I be more proactive in taking care of them?’
Thinking this inwardly, Lee Jung-woo chuckles.
He steps out of his room and suddenly hugs his mother who is washing dishes from behind.
“Oh my goodness.”
“Mom.”
“What?”
“Mom, who do you like more, hyung or me?”
“Oh, why are you asking all of a sudden? What about you? Do you like dad more or mom more?”
“……”
“What do you want?”
“What do you mean, what do I want?”
“You always act like this when you have something to say or when you’ve caused trouble.”
“Wow, you’re like a psychic!”
Both are correct. The only difference is that it wasn’t me who caused the trouble, but hyung.
“Wait until I finish washing the dishes.”
“Oh come on, you know how impatient I am. I’ll help you while I talk. And please talk to dad for me.”
“What kind of big trouble have you caused this time? You’re scaring me.”
“Haha… So that’s how I am to you, mom. Always the clumsy child causing trouble.”
“Yes, both you and Hyun-woo are like that. Even if you two say you’re going to the river hand-in-hand, I’ll still be worried. It’s not like leaving kids by the river for no reason.”
Even when they’re well past twenty, near thirty.
Parents always see their children as young.
Feeling this, Lee Jung-woo laughs softly.
“Mom, we’ve all grown up. As you know, hyung was famous for being mature since he was young, and I grew up after going to the military and getting a job.”
“Stop beating around the bush and get to the point. It’s not a money problem, right? Don’t tell me it’s a girl problem?”
“Wow, you’re really a psychic.”
Even though she hears the word ‘psychic’ twice, Cho Young-sook, the mother of the two sons, was nervous.
‘Could it be that this kid got someone pregnant?’
It could happen in youthful passion.
The younger one was more interested in the opposite sex and more proactive in dating than the older one.
“Sigh, should I take a calming pill before listening?”
“Mom, the dishes are squeaking. You must be nervous.”
Whether it’s nervousness or not, the dishes she was washing indeed made that sound.
She tries to explain.
“You have to wash until you hear that sound. Do you know how bad chemical products are for the body?”
“As expected of our mom! The world should give you an award.”
“Enough flattery. What is it? What on earth is it?”
“Well…”
“……”
“You know sister-in-law.”
Suddenly, it slows down.
So, the squeaking sound also changes to a screeching halt.
Her tone changes too.
“What about Ah-young?”
“Why are you suddenly changing like that? See, mom likes hyung more than me.”
“You little!”
“Okay, okay. I’ll be honest. It’s just that sister-in-law is from a very wealthy family.”
Should I say it’s a relief?
It wasn’t a big deal after hearing it.
Seeing his mother’s expression, Lee Jung-woo continues straight on.
“You already guessed, mom.”
“Can you hide someone’s nature? Just by looking, you could tell she grew up well. But seeing you say that, she must be even wealthier than I thought.”
“Yes. She’s the daughter of the chairman of 【Guseong Group】.”
This time, there’s a complete stop.
Naturally, the squeaking sound no longer comes, and she even turns her gaze to look at her son with questioning eyes.
Is that true?
“Mom, your eldest son is amazing, right? You know? The whole world is interested in him. Would women be any different? All sorts of women are interested in him. Among them was a daughter from a grand family… But mom, the reason I didn’t tell you from the start is…”
From then on, Lee Jung-woo actively defended the two people who weren’t there.
He carefully chose his words to ensure his parents wouldn’t feel inferior.
It seems his over a year of social life helped.
He finished his explanation well without hurting their feelings.
In fact, Cho Young-sook roughly understood why they kept it a secret the moment she heard it.
Her son must have been considerate not to hurt his parents’ feelings.
But hearing more details from her second son, she could see Kim Ah-young in a new light.
“That child… even though she grew up well, she has depth.”
“That’s right. Especially on Parents’ Day, when she served you and dad at 【Seorabeol Hotel】, it was really surprising.”
“What? 【Seorabeol Hotel】? Ah… back then, that child…”
“Yes, that’s right. It was sister-in-law. Now you remember. Actually, sister-in-law is an executive at 【Seorabeol Hotel】. And for the record, she planned that event without telling hyung. That’s why hyung was so moved…”
“I thought she was a bear, but she has the wits of a fox too.”
“A bear-like fox? Or a fox-like bear? Anyway, that’s why hyung fell for her.”
A mother usually feels a tinge of jealousy when her son falls for another woman.
But hearing this story now, she didn’t feel that way at all.
“So? The reason you’re telling me this now is? Are you worried we’ll feel burdened because she’s a chaebol’s daughter?”
“That’s part of it, and also to tell you not to lose confidence. Our hyung is an amazing person. Just recently, an online news article came out saying 【Yaho】 will pay to use 【Jungle】’s technology.”
“What does that mean?”
“Oh, it’s a bit complicated to explain here, but anyway, please talk to dad well. My mission is over!”
With a relieved expression, Lee Jung-woo turned around.
At the same time, he recalled part of his earlier conversation with his brother.
By the way, thanks.
Thanks? For what?
For creating the search engine with your genius skills. I’m realizing more and more how amazing it is.
He knew exactly why he said that.
It was because 【Yaho】 said they would adopt 【Jungle】’s search engine.
‘But hyung, even if you have a string of pearls, the one stringing them together must be exceptional.’
Lee Jung-woo was more grateful.
His brother always awakened his talent.
He was also curious about the future.
How much more his talent would blossom under his brother.
‘Thanks to you, I’ll become the world’s greatest developer.’
If Lee Jung-woo was close to being a hardworking genius, Oh Min-woo, a born genius, was currently facing Lee Hyun-woo.
“I didn’t interrupt a date, did I?”
Seeing Kim Ah-young in the room when he arrived late made him feel sorry.
And watching her leave the room made him sweat.
‘That smile just now. It wasn’t a real smile.’
Fortunately, Lee Hyun-woo gave him a smile devoid of emotion.
“No, it’s fine. But did you have something to say?”
“Yes, it’s about ‘Make Friends.’ Our CEO is so busy that I thought I should ambush you to discuss it.”
“You don’t have to ambush me. Anyway, you seem in a hurry, so let’s talk.”
Knowing Oh Min-woo’s impulsive nature, Lee Hyun-woo accepted his opinion without any sign of displeasure.
“Maybe it’s because I’m influenced by you, CEO, but I finished the final touches on ‘Make Friends’ thinking it should be completely different from a blog.”
“In what way?”
“In a nutshell, it’s centered around individuals. To access a blog, you have to go through the initial portal site, but this is different. The ‘My Page’ is the initial screen itself.”
“Nice. That’s very good.”
“I told you, I’m definitely influenced by you, CEO.”
“No, this is your creation.”
Lee Hyun-woo adamantly denied his influence.
In reality, the initial concept of ‘Make Friends’ was Oh Min-woo’s, and the blog was born from its influence, now returning to its proper place.
“From now on, don’t say ‘thanks to someone else.’ This came into the world because you have a free spirit.”
Oh Min-woo is further motivated.
“Ah, this is why I don’t want to leave 【Jungle】. Normally, I like working freely alone, just as you said, CEO.”
“I’ll ensure you can continue doing that.”
“Continue?”
“Yes, you can work from home. But that doesn’t mean I’ll take away your office space at the company.”
“Work from home? Really?”
“Do I say one thing and then another?”
“No. That’s why I’m surprised right now.”
“I’ve been thinking about this for a while. Honestly, our company’s growth rate is too fast. Every day, a new project starts, and we need to fill people for it. It’s not just an issue of development personnel, but also the space to accommodate them is becoming endlessly scarce.”
Lee Hyun-woo’s words were true.
Even at this moment, the number of developers was increasing exponentially.
Not long ago, they secured a 10-story building, but it seemed they would need to look for another by the end of the year.
He vaguely decided to utilize a work-from-home system for this.
“You’re really an experimental person. You discovered and utilized third parties, gave them outsourcing, and connected them with our company to fill the lack of development personnel and space. Now you’re even introducing the concept of working from home.”
“Yes, I’m good at thinking up ideas. But if there’s no one to execute them, it’s all useless.”
“You mean I should do it?”
“Only then will others acknowledge it.”
Lee Hyun-woo believed that Oh Min-woo was someone who could work freely outside the company and still produce results.
Therefore, if others saw him succeeding, it would be easier to gradually implement the work-from-home system.
“Okay. I’ll accept. But don’t trust me too much. I might say I’m working and end up playing games.”
“Good.”
“Huh? That’s good?”
“Playing hooky occasionally makes work enjoyable. Everyone in our company is such a workaholic that I doubt anyone goes to the sauna during work hours.”
“Well, I haven’t seen any. But not everyone is a workaholic. Many employees slack off, except for the higher-ups.”
“That’s why it must be tough. It’s so bleak with bosses who only work.”
“Ha… really, CEO, you’re impossible.”
When Oh Min-woo shook his head with an exasperated expression, Lee Hyun-woo smiled and made a suggestion.
“Let’s consider the upcoming Hong Kong workshop as a ‘refresh’ period. So let’s end the ‘Make Friends’ discussion here and just enjoy the concert tomorrow. Got it?”
“Yes, sir!”
Seeing Oh Min-woo even salute made Lee Hyun-woo’s smile deepen.
Somehow, this trip to Taiwan and Hong Kong seemed like it would be unforgettable.
Because so many significant events had occurred.
‘Now, just watch the concert and return home, and it’s over?’
