For Lee Hyun-woo, it was a unique experience.
And it was also the first start of slightly shifting the focus of his life towards work-life balance.
‘I should enjoy this from time to time.’
Meanwhile, Shin Sung-hoon’s concert, which opened the next day, ended successfully.
It was a very natural outcome since no one expected the greatest singer of this era to fail, but the fact that tickets were sold online for the first time started appearing in newspaper articles.
『A new attempt by 【Nine Sound】, purchasing tickets from 【Jungle】.』
This means that the website 【Jungle】 was promoted through the newspaper.
In this era, the concentration of information was no joke.
Looking back later, the current media is considered a monopoly.
It means that the places where the public accesses and distributes information are limited.
As a result, the newspaper article led to a surge in users of 【Jungle】.
Lee Jung-woo and Jang Yoo-cheol were having a ping-pong conversation as if they were broadcasting it.
“Is this why they advertise in newspapers?”
“Seems like it. I’ve been checking the number of visitors since earlier.”
“Same here. Ah, dang it! I can’t work because I’m checking the numbers.”
“We still have to do it. Let’s restrain ourselves now.”
At that moment, Lee Hyun-woo stepped in and continued the conversation in a relaxed voice.
“There’s no need for that.”
“Pardon?”
“You don’t need to restrain yourselves.”
“That becomes a motivation. Do you think efficiency will increase just by working all day?”
“That’s not it.”
“Yes, you’re right.”
“In fact, you do other things a lot too, don’t you?”
“Well…”
“……”
“So if you’re going to do something else, having a healthy conversation like that is always welcome. Otherwise, work life becomes too bleak.”
“Haha… I think we’ve met a really good CEO.”
“Thanks to Lee Jung-woo for introducing you to me, I’m really grateful. I’ll consider both of you my benefactors in life.”
Hearing Jang Yoo-cheol’s words, Lee Hyun-woo chuckled.
But what Lee Hyun-woo said was true.
Until Lee Hyun-woo’s previous life, Korea proudly (?) held the second-longest working hours among OECD countries.
The more astonishing record was the actual working time compared to the working hours.
Only 2 hours and 17 minutes.
The rest of the time, office workers lived by watching their superiors’ moods, idling around, or secretly surfing the internet.
Maybe this habit developed from being forced to sit in school since high school.
Therefore, Lee Hyun-woo considered checking this kind of motivation as the driving force for work efficiency.
That didn’t mean he didn’t make them work.
He gave such orders to his junior and Jang Yoo-cheol shortly after.
“Start taking pre-orders for the live album.”
“Already taking orders?”
“Yes, that’s why it’s a pre-order for 10,000 copies. If you order now, you can buy it for 8,000 won, so put up a big event window.”
“In other words, the regular price is 10,000 won, but it’s an opportunity to get a 2,000 won discount.”
“Good, good.”
Originally planning to sell it for 8,000 won, the two quickly worked on Lee Hyun-woo’s instruction to make the event more noticeable.
As time went by, their coordination improved and their proficiency increased.
Perhaps that’s why it didn’t take long to put up a new window on the main screen of 【Jungle】.
“CEO, it’s done.”
“Take a look.”
Lee Hyun-woo looked at the big event window next to the ‘Solids’ concert that Han Se-jin had secured a while ago, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.
‘Hope the pre-orders for 10,000 copies get filled quickly.’
Then, based on that result, he planned to order an additional 10,000 copies from Nine Sound.
Meanwhile, the two people watching Lee Hyun-woo’s expression started to express their doubts under the guise of a conversation.
“Will it be effective to put up an event window for a product that hasn’t been released yet?”
“I don’t know. It seems like people won’t spend money on something that doesn’t exist.”
“Why spend money?”
“Pardon?”
“Then?”
“Pre-orders are just pre-orders. No money is spent right now.”
As they answered, it was clear that users would think the same way as the two.
“We haven’t activated the payment window yet, have we?”
“No, today is just about informing.”
“Then let’s tweak the event window a bit more.”
“How?”
“Free pre-order. Emphasize the free part.”
In a way, it was like baiting consumers.
So far, about 90% of 【Jungle】 users made bank transfers, and 10% used credit cards.
When ordering a product, money had to be sent first or a card had to be swiped before the delivery started.
However, this time, they could order without that process.
Calling this ‘free,’ wouldn’t more users take advantage of the pre-order method?
‘Trial and error is inevitable.’
Revisions to notices had been frequent.
Therefore, when the modified notice was posted again, emphasizing the free part, he smiled with satisfaction.
The issue was that the growing size of 【Jungle】 led to a call from the PG (Payment Gateway) company they started using.
Most calls were received by Yoo Jin-young, but since she didn’t know much about this matter, Lee Hyun-woo had to take over.
“Yes, this is Lee Hyun-woo speaking.”
(We saw the homepage? The pre-order is free, but then it’s 8,000 won…)
“Ah, you don’t need to worry about that. Simply put, it means we’re just taking orders now and the payment can be made later.”
A PG (Payment Gateway) company helps businesses with bank transfers and credit card operations for a fee.
Even such a place was curious, indicating how novel the pre-order method was in this era.
‘All ideas borrowed from the future will be considered new and fresh.’
A bitter smile spread across Lee Hyun-woo’s face.
But that day, another call surprised everyone in the company.
“CEO, I think you should take this call too.”
What could it be this time?
Showing curiosity on his face, Lee Hyun-woo picked up the receiver.
“Yes, this is Lee Hyun-woo, CEO of 【Jungle】.”
Soon, the other party identified themselves.
(Hello, CEO.)
“Yes, hello.”
(I’m Heo Sol, a reporter from KBC News Culture & Entertainment Department.)
“Ah, yes…”
A reporter? From a broadcasting station?
Feeling slightly flustered inside, a more surprising question was asked.
(Actually, I’d like to request an interview, if you have time?)
“An interview? With me?”
(Yes, CEO.)
“Didn’t you say you’re from the entertainment department?”
(Yes, technically from the culture and entertainment department. Recently, it seems the public has taken an interest in Shin Sung-hoon’s concert. Some of the tickets were sold on your 【Jungle】 site, right?)
“Yes, that’s correct.”
(We’d like to introduce this briefly on the news, it won’t take long.)
Is there any reason to refuse?
No, he was more than happy.
“Yes, that’s fine. When would it be?”
(The sooner, the better for us. Tomorrow is possible.)
“Ah, then come tomorrow.”
(You’re very straightforward. Then we’ll see you tomorrow morning.)
“Yes, see you tomorrow.”
After hanging up the phone, a gentle smile appeared on Lee Hyun-woo’s face.
‘For the first time in both my previous and current lives, I’ll be on TV.’
Is it good to have your face on TV?
Absolutely not.
Even though he had listed things he hadn’t done in his previous life, he had no intention of entering the entertainment industry, not even a tiny bit.
However, exposure related to business was always welcome.
Especially if this interview could make 【Jungle】 more widely known.
‘In 1996, there were only three broadcasting stations, and a popular drama could get a viewership rating of 30% to 50%.’
This was an era of media monopoly.
A single newspaper article caused an explosive increase in 【Jungle】 users.
‘Then the news should be the same, right?’
KBC News had the highest viewership at the time, so the opportunity to be known to many people made Lee Hyun-woo’s heart race.
He aimed to enjoy life.
But he also wanted to succeed in business at an incredibly fast pace, so feeling excited was natural.
It seemed Lee Hyun-woo wasn’t the only one.
As soon as the clock struck 4:45 PM and work ended, Yoo Jin-young stood up and muttered to herself.
“Time to buy clothes.”
The interview was with Lee Hyun-woo, but what was she thinking?
The next day, Yoo Jin-young greeted him with heavy makeup that didn’t suit her.
“CEO, you’re here?”
She must have put on makeup thinking she might be caught on camera.
He chuckled and sat down, and shortly after, the other three also appeared dressed neatly.
‘No wonder Jung-woo didn’t come to work together.’
Seeing their reactions, he once again felt the power of the broadcast.
At the same time, he calmed down.
He pondered on how to promote 【Jungle】 with each word of the upcoming interview.
Facing the reporter and the crew who arrived shortly, he received basic questions.
It seemed like they were coordinating questions and answers before the actual interview.
“When I looked at the website, it reminded me of 【E Base】 and 【Amazones】 from the U.S.”
“Yes, that’s correct. 【Amazones】 started 2 years ago, and 【E Base】 a year ago. Our website combines the strengths of both.”
“Ah, I see.”
As expected of a reporter, they were well-informed.
Also, studying those two sites and coming prepared made them seem different from the future’s lousy journalists.
The questions were very professional.
“This is called the Blue Ocean strategy, right? Discovering a new sea and getting fresh fish. In our country, it would be the ‘first title.’”
“Actually, we’re looking further ahead.”
“Further ahead?”
“Not just our country, but the world. Eventually, we want to compete with and beat 【Amazones】 and 【E Base】.”
“Wow, I want to cheer you on.”
Unintentionally revealing his dream, Lee Hyun-woo.
But this wasn’t the interview.
This wasn’t the focus of the interview.
The culture and entertainment department wouldn’t delve deeply into economics or IT.
The actual questions focused on Shin Sung-hoon’s concert.
Fortunately, during a short break, the topic of CD pre-orders was also mentioned,
“I’ll make sure to include that.”
The reporter’s promise to edit it well raised expectations.
However, after the interview, the rest of the team didn’t look happy.
“Why do you all look like you’ve eaten something bad?”
“They didn’t care about us at all.”
“Ugh, I bought clothes for nothing.”
Lee Hyun-woo laughed lightly at their complaints.
But this laughter turned into cheers a few days later when the news aired.
That day, the pre-orders for 10,000 copies sold out.
