Jamie Wang, who finally arrived in Korea, couldn’t shake off the news that broke out in the United States.
Although he didn’t neglect the initial promotional schedule, his expression was always filled with tension whenever he arrived.
Steve Wong, the chief secretary who had been watching from the side, couldn’t help but ask him.
“Are you feeling unwell? Is it because you haven’t adjusted to the time difference yet?”
“No. How old do you think I am? Hahaha.”
Jamie Wang smiled slightly and decided to share the concern he had been holding in his heart since the question came up.
“Actually, it’s about the article that broke out before I came here. You know, the one about the three companies teaming up.”
“Ah, yes…”
“Maybe it’s just needless worry about something that hasn’t even happened yet, but I can’t help but be concerned. We’re barely keeping up with the existing portal sites, and 【Pineapple】 is making headlines every day, and 【Macro Soft】 is about to unveil a new portal site.”
“That’s right…”
“To make matters worse, the two geniuses from 【Give and Take】 have joined them.”
Jamie Wang expressed his regret as he mentioned the two geniuses.
They were talents he could have acquired.
Steve Wong, who understood this, didn’t want his boss to dwell on past regrets.
“It can’t be helped now. We need to get closer to 【Jungle】. So far, we’ve only integrated their search engine, but how about collaborating on research projects like those three companies?”
“Do you think Mr. Lee will accept it? We’re competitors in the market.”
“He already mentioned it first. He said it’s not just a competition, but a cooperative competition. To put it another way, it sounded like he was acknowledging that we share the market, but if a common enemy appears, we should join forces to counter them.”
“Hmm…”
Jamie Wang furrowed his brow for a moment.
He forced a smile, perhaps embarrassed by his sudden weak words.
“Well, if those three have teamed up, Mr. Lee must be pretty tense too.”
“Of course.”
“I have an appointment with Mr. Lee at Gyeongbokgung Palace in two days. I’ve scheduled it leisurely, so I’ll bring it up then.”
Two days later, Lee Hyun-woo and Jamie Wang arrived at Gwanghwamun at 10 a.m.
There shouldn’t have been many people since it was a weekday, but a cloud of people gathered.
There were the usual tourists, but the news of their visit had spread, so reporters followed them.
Naturally, both sides’ secretaries were mobilized to block the reporters, and personnel from private security companies were also present to fulfill their duties.
‘Will this even be a proper tour?’
As Lee Hyun-woo realized that the more famous he became, the more inconvenient his life got.
He couldn’t understand why he was getting so much media attention despite not being a celebrity.
No, he had a vague idea.
‘Did Han Se-jin and Chief Kang Dong-ho intentionally gather them?’
It was quite likely. It seemed they had realized that the more 【Jungle】 became a topic, the more free publicity they got.
This was a method Lee Hyun-woo had used before.
So, he couldn’t blame them for learning and applying it.
Moreover, there was no time to spare.
Jamie Wang’s questions began soon.
“Where is this place?”
“This is Gwanghwamun. You can consider it the entrance to Gyeongbokgung Palace.”
Jamie Wang could finally feel some leisure.
The charm of the old castle entrance brought a sentimental feeling.
Watching the performance of those dressed as gatekeepers was also entertaining.
After fully enjoying it with his eyes and heart, other topics naturally came up instead of business.
“Maybe it’s because my roots are in Taiwan, but I feel strange in places like this.”
“In what way?”
“How should I put it? I feel completely immersed in the charm of Eastern culture. It’s definitely different from the West.”
“That’s right. It’s definitely different.”
“Last time, it was the same in Taiwan and Hong Kong. Although I didn’t get to visit the heritage sites, feeling the differences in people and culture made me think about the future of 【Yaho】.”
Lee Hyun-woo roughly understood what Jamie Wang was talking about.
Usually, to do business in a country, those who understand the lifestyle of the people there settle down well.
“In that sense, I was deeply impressed by your management philosophy, Mr. Lee. Recently, during the Mid-Autumn Festival, 【Jungle Taiwan】 and 【Jungle China】 decorated their front pages with lantern pictures.”
The Mid-Autumn Festival was a significant event for people in the Chinese-speaking world.
Knowing this and decorating the homepage separately highlighted 【Jungle】’s strategy.
“That was just… so that people from Taiwan and Hong Kong could feel the Mid-Autumn Festival atmosphere when they entered the portal… The only regret was the design. If it were 【Pineapple】, it would have attracted more attention with a more splendid design.”
“Well, we’ll have to see whether 【Pineapple】 thinks that far. I got a hint this time, so I’ll use it for Thanksgiving in the U.S.”
Jamie Wang’s words implied that he would benchmark the idea.
Lee Hyun-woo accepted it with a smile.
Before they knew it, the two and their entourage were passing through Heungnyemun Gate.
While spending considerable time at the ticket office, they conversed about various topics such as the Joseon Dynasty, Gyeongbokgung Palace, and Chinese history.
Both had a keen interest in the humanities, which allowed them to endlessly exchange ideas.
Even as they walked past Heungnyemun Gate towards Geunjeongmun Gate, they continued discussing.
Seeing people dressed in hanbok performing in various places, they talked about the traditional costumes of the two countries.
Since Geunjeongjeon Hall is the largest existing ancient building in Korea, they spent quite some time walking around and having lively conversations.
Lee Hyun-woo and Jamie Wang initially met for business.
But through culture and history, they felt their emotional distance narrowing.
‘If we incorporate the culture of the other country, the portal site is more likely to settle quickly.’
They both shared this thought.
As they exited Geunjeongjeon Hall, Jamie Wang’s voice was filled with familiarity.
“You explain better than a guide, so I’m really enjoying this.”
“No way.”
“Really. It sticks in my ears. When I return to the U.S., the memories I’ve built here will remain deeply in my heart. The meaning of each building as well. Especially Geunjeongjeon Hall. The idea of urging diligent governance resonates with me. Isn’t it a call to manage diligently?”
Lee Hyun-woo laughed.
In fact, the meaning of Geunjeong (勤政) was given by Jeong Do-jeon when moving the capital from Gaeseong to Hanyang during the establishment of the Joseon Dynasty, as Jamie Wang said, implying diligent governance.
‘Come to think of it, it’s a place that embodies work addiction. Is it a phrase symbolizing our national identity?’
Working diligently.
He thought it was a genetic trait from his parents, but it seemed to be a part of the national identity.
The tour lasted longer than expected, taking about three hours, and to have a meal, the two walked through Heungseongmun Gate to Insadong.
Although it was a late lunch, Lee Hyun-woo thought it was meaningful to eat traditional food in Insadong.
In a Korean restaurant reserved by the secretaries, they tasted seafood pancake, potato pancake, boiled pork wrap, soybean paste stew, hongeo samhap (fermented skate with boiled pork and kimchi), and braised short ribs.
Since there were many people, they could share the food appropriately.
Every time he ate, he thought of Kim Ah-young.
He wanted to have a date in such a place,
‘But people would recognize us, right?’
As expected, the more famous you become, the more freedom you lose.
This was the most regrettable part.
Briefly lost in thought, after finishing the meal, the two entered a traditional tea house.
Naturally, the conversation delved deeply into business matters that they couldn’t finish discussing at Gyeongbokgung Palace.
“By the way, I heard some news recently. The three companies are teaming up to create a search engine.”
“Yes, I heard about it too. After that news, the stock prices of 【Macro Soft】 and 【Pineapple】 surged. I’ve also heard that the number of people visiting the portal site ‘Ocean’ has increased significantly.”
“The employees are worried. They’re concerned that there might be more competitors besides 【Yaho】.”
“【Pineapple】 is not the only competitor. 【Macro Soft】 is planning to completely switch from PC communications to a portal site by the end of the year. Additionally, existing sites like 【Lykes】 are also present, so it seems the Warring States period of portal sites is about to begin.”
As confirmed earlier.
Jamie Wang, with roots in Taiwan, had a considerable knowledge of Chinese history.
Moreover, having recently undertaken significant business ventures in Hong Kong and Taiwan, he had studied a lot.
As he mentioned during the Gyeongbokgung tour, understanding the culture of a country is crucial for success, something Jamie Wang truly realized.
In essence, he was continually learning from Lee Hyun-woo.
It was inevitable that he thought about forming an alliance.
Now, it was time to earnestly express the thoughts he had been harboring, so Jamie Wang looked into Lee Hyun-woo’s eyes and earnestly posed the next question.
“You mentioned a cooperative competition relationship before, right?”
“Yes, that’s right. That’s why you started using our search engine.”
“I think we need to combine our technical teams to upgrade the search engine further. Maintaining the status quo is equivalent to regressing, isn’t it?”
“I was going to mention that myself.”
At a time when the emotional distance had significantly narrowed.
It seemed he chose the right moment to speak up.
Lee Hyun-woo was thinking the same thing.
‘I feel reassured if I join hands with this person.’
Jamie Wang smiled, and so did Lee Hyun-woo.
Simultaneously, a curiosity popped into Lee Hyun-woo’s mind.
‘I’m curious. What will happen to 【Yaho】 in this life?’
As mentioned earlier, in his previous life, 【Yaho】 declined with the onset of the Warring States period and was ultimately overshadowed by 【Single】, eventually almost ceasing to exist.
‘But in this life, I wonder how it will turn out by joining hands with me.’
Perhaps it could last longer than expected.
Thus, the rise and fall of 【Yaho】 became another point of interest for Lee Hyun-woo.
“Shall we take a walk now?”
“Yes, let’s do that. To help with digestion.”
“It’s a pity that time flies.”
“I feel the same. I want to talk more with you, Mr. Lee…”
“I’ll visit the U.S. next time.”
“Oh, then I’ll be your tour guide in the U.S. Please let me know in advance if there’s any place you want to visit.”
“I just thought of one place. Disneyland.”
“Disneyland?”
“Yes, I’ve never been there. I really want to visit once.”
Lee Hyun-woo didn’t know why that place came out of his mouth.
Perhaps it was a regret from the past.
‘My kids wanted to go to an amusement park so much.’
He could hardly go with them.
In this life, he didn’t want to live that way.
‘I need to move up my early retirement plans.’
