Kim Ah-young said she would take him.
When she moved, Chief Secretary Park Min-sook would follow, and then the bodyguards would surely come as well.
The reporters waiting outside wouldn’t stay still either, so Lee Hyun-woo held her hand and said,
“It’s okay. I have two chief secretaries too. See you later.”
“Oh, okay.”
At that moment,
Click They heard the sound of a camera capturing the two.
The owner of the camera, who had a bright voice, said,
“I only took a picture of your hands.”
It was Kim Na-yoon.
“But I’m going to post this on my blog today.”
Kim Ah-young frowned.
“Hey, you…”
On the other hand, Lee Hyun-woo smiled and said to Kim Na-yoon,
“You got your digital camera back.”
“Yes, I said if I didn’t get this, I’d buy a camera phone from 【GB Electronics】.”
“Hahaha.”
The mere idea of the youngest daughter of 【Guseong Group】 buying a rival company’s product could become a hot topic.
Even if it weren’t, no one could stop Kim Na-yoon’s blog activities now.
In fact, her blog played a role in softening the group’s image.
It seemed that through meetings, they decided that such activities could be allowed.
“Then save this photo and post it after the Chuseok holiday.”
“Oh, are you referring to 【Jungle】’s new SNS?”
“Yes, please promote it.”
“Oppa, you really understand my influence.”
Kim Na-yoon was already a power blogger.
She had over 100,000 friends.
What would happen if she opened an SNS?
“But I heard this new SNS is specialized for meeting old classmates, friends, and former teachers.”
“Yes, but we also made it so individuals can post their photos and writings.”
“Oh, insider information leak!”
“You have to provide that much to a power blogger.”
“Power blogger?”
“Yes, someone with a lot of friends and influence like you is called a power blogger.”
“Oppa, aren’t you the same?”
“Well, even if I do it, it’s just promoting our company’s services. If Na-yoon does it, it’s a bit different.”
“Come on, it will be the same even if I do it.”
“Really?”
“Yes, soon we’ll be bound as a family.”
Kim Ah-young flared up again at Kim Na-yoon’s words.
“You! That’s enough. Go inside and study.”
“Geez, unnie, you’re starting to tell me to study too.”
“A student should study, right?”
“Whatever. It’s Chuseok today. Who studies during a holiday?”
“High school seniors don’t have holidays or birthdays, you know.”
“Wow, that’s unfair. Oppa, help me out here.”
“In situations like this, neutrality is the best.”
“Heung…”
Lee Hyun-woo went outside, leaving behind Kim Na-yoon, who made a cute nasal sound.
Kim Ah-young followed him.
“I really want to give you a ride.”
“I said it’s okay. Oh, and soon…”
“…….”
“Let’s go on a trip.”
“Huh? A trip?”
“Yes, to Jeju Island.”
“Jeju Island… sounds good… but because of work?”
“Partially. But just the two of us. How about it?”
Kim Ah-young’s face immediately blushed.
The phrase “just the two of us” sounded quite suggestive.
Of course, they wouldn’t be able to completely separate from their secretaries and bodyguards, but ultimately, it would be close to a trip for just the two of them.
Thinking so, she blushed and nodded.
Lee Hyun-woo was so captivated by her charm that he wanted to hug her.
‘Having gone back to the past and regained youth, I get fired up like this…’
Lee Hyun-woo’s heart suddenly raced.
His breathing quickened as they walked to the parking lot.
What on earth was he imagining…
Finally, Chuseok ended.
Scheduled services like the SNS started.
The results were no joke.
『New concept social network, ‘Make Friends’ surpasses 100,000 users in one day!』
『Make Friends, gathers 500,000 users in three days!』
『Will 【Jungle】’s new SNS surpass 1 million users in a week?』
The happiest person was, of course, the developer, Oh Min-woo.
He burst into the CEO’s office where Lee Hyun-woo was staying with a triumphant expression and said,
“I did it again!”
“As expected, amazing.”
Lee Hyun-woo raised his thumb to boost Oh Min-woo’s mood.
“I knew it would turn out like this, but it’s steeper than I expected.”
“Honestly, I didn’t expect it to be this much either. It seems we really struck a nostalgic chord.”
“Indeed.”
“Oh, by the way, I’ll be working from home starting tomorrow. I came to inform you of that.”
While he wanted to boast about the success of ‘Make Friends,’ he actually came to report this.
Among the tasks delayed after Chuseok was the start of remote work.
Oh Min-woo was the first to take it up.
Then, in order, Lee Jung-woo and Jang Yoo-chul would start working from home.
“Since I know working from home isn’t just about relaxing, I won’t nag you.”
“What would I nag about? This company isn’t just mine alone anyway.”
“Hmm, when you say it like that, it sounds like nagging but doesn’t feel like it.”
“Your words sound like nonsense to me.”
“Ugh…”
Oh Min-woo shook his head as if he couldn’t be helped and began to talk about the remote work plan he had in mind.
“First of all, I’ll be living independently at home.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“Independently. I’ll be living separately from my parents.”
“Don’t tell me this remote work became a trigger?”
“Why not? I’m moving into an apartment on a monthly rent. Since the company covers the ancillary costs of remote work, I quickly signed the contract.”
“What the…”
He was talking about the deposit and rent.
Indeed, Oh Min-woo’s contributions couldn’t be measured in money, so they could easily accommodate that without hesitation.
But the fact that he signed a lease for an apartment sparked a peculiar thought.
“You’re not planning to make your team stay there, are you?”
“Wow, you’re a psychic. That’s right.”
“I knew it. Hey! That’s not remote work. That’s group work.”
“CEO, this is the company, why are you saying ‘hey’? Why is such a dignified person acting like this?”
“Because you’re distorting the essence of remote work.”
“Come on, don’t get excited and listen to my story.”
Although he couldn’t help but get excited, Lee Hyun-woo decided to hear out Oh Min-woo’s excuse.
“I said group work, but it’s actually to work together on a new project. Originally, when I’m in the middle of something and the flow interrupts, it’s hard for me to get back into it later, you know?”
“So?”
“But it’s not just me. You don’t know developers’ tendencies well.”
“So?”
“Oh, come on… Yes, so I gathered those who are like me and suggested this. Let’s work exactly 40 hours a week. It doesn’t matter which days, just 40 hours. After that, we rest no matter what. Think about it. 40 hours means 24 hours one day and 16 hours the next. So, working two full days and then resting for five days is also a decent method. It’s a type of work-life balance you mentioned. You should acknowledge this as it is.”
“Hmm…”
Listening to him, Lee Hyun-woo found himself momentarily at a loss for words.
It felt like he had imposed his idea of work-life balance on others.
He believed in regularity, but wasn’t that just his rule?
‘We’ll have to go through trial and error anyway.’
Expecting remote work from the 20th century to be perfect from the start was greedy, especially when 21st-century remote work wasn’t fully established yet.
Having shot the arrow, it was Lee Hyun-woo’s job to keep checking how it hit the target and re-aim.
“Okay, got it. But remember, I’ll do random checks.”
“Huh? That’s against the spirit of remote work… Sigh, okay, got it.”
Oh Min-woo, attempting to protest, gave up.
Since he felt like he was also using some foul play, staying quiet seemed best for his well-being.
Sometime later, the next remote worker, Lee Jung-woo, was invited to Oh Min-woo’s apartment.
“Wow, this is nice.”
“Nice, isn’t it? Jealous?”
“Yes, I’m jealous. You’re completely free.”
“No one interferes. You can sleep in late, play games all day.”
“But don’t be careless. Hyung said he’d drop by sometime.”
“That’s why, though it’s annoying, I’m cleaning. And the moment your hyung drops by!”
“Moment?”
“Cleaning is banned.”
“Geez, what kind of ridiculous thing is that?”
“What’s the point of wasting energy on a space that will get dirty again?”
Though it didn’t seem right, Lee Jung-woo refrained from nagging.
He just envied Oh Min-woo’s independence.
“Should I talk to my parents too?”
“In times like this, you don’t talk, you declare.”
“Declare?”
“Yes, declare independence.”
Though grandiose, it had a definite ring to it.
It implied independence regardless of opposition.
Suddenly, he imagined a life without his brother’s constant interference, creating what he wanted freely.
“Alright. I’ll boldly declare my independence too.”
“Good decision. Programmers are like artists. We need to break taboos with free thinking to create anew.”
Though it sounded like the devil’s whisper, it resonated.
“Above all! No need for exercise.”
“Oh! That’s true!”
To work more at the company, visiting the gym was mandatory.
But with this method of remote work, exceeding work hours would go unnoticed by Lee Hyun-woo, so obligatory gym visits weren’t necessary.
Feeling increasingly drawn to independence, that evening, Lee Jung-woo declared in front of his family,
“I want to live on my own.”
“What?”
“……?”
“You…”
Lee Hyun-woo frowned, thinking of Oh Min-woo.
‘That guy definitely tempted him with the devil’s whisper.’
It was clear without even seeing.
Lee Jung-woo, who hadn’t lived away from his parents except for the military.
How free independence must seem.
It was hard to stop an adult.
In fact, though his parents opposed,
“What are you talking about?”
“Living alone? Are you leaving home?”
“Yes, it’s more convenient for work. Mom, Dad, Hyung. I need my personal space now. Please allow it. No, even if you don’t, I’ll do it.”
Lee Jung-woo showed firm resolve.
Suddenly, Lee Hyun-woo felt he’d soon see his brother buried in work day and night.
‘It’s hard to stop.’
In the end, strengthening random checks was the only solution.
And.
‘I should install a treadmill right away.’
He planned to convert the space where Oh Min-woo and Lee Jung-woo lived into a home training space.
