Originally, Lee Hyun-woo did not stay long at Jungle’s group dinners.
Today, he had a special appointment.
He kept it a secret in case the two secretaries would follow him.
“Hyungnims, I’m here.”
“Oh, you’re here?”
“You’ve arrived.”
He met Kim Yoon-soo and Jung Sung-woo at another bar.
This meeting was actually something that Lee Hyun-woo wanted.
He had something to discuss.
Due to Ku Man-hoi of the Internet Goblin Market, whom he met before leaving work, there was a matter to propose to the 21st Century Venture Business Association.
After exchanging a round of soju shots, he brought up the topic.
“It would be good if our association had legal counsel.”
“Legal counsel?”
“Yes, actually, CEO Ku Man-hoi came today, and his situation is unfortunate.”
“Oh… I heard about that too.”
Jung Sung-woo’s expression quickly darkened.
As the president of the association, he seemed to have quick access to information.
On the other hand, Kim Yoon-soo, with a curious look in his eyes, tilted his head.
Lee Hyun-woo explained Ku Man-hoi’s situation to Kim Yoon-soo,
“Who would do such a despicable thing?”
Kim Yoon-soo immediately frowned.
Lee Hyun-woo replied in a deflated voice,
“I asked him to tell me, but… well, it’s uncertain if he’ll introduce the person to me. He showed reluctance, saying the person isn’t very good.”
“Oh dear…”
“What should we do?”
“As I said, it’s a belated remedy, but we must prevent fraud through legal counsel. And for those like CEO Ku who have been victimized… well, there’s no specific solution.”
“So, he’ll just lose his company without getting any money?”
“That’s not likely.”
“He could leave with his original share, but it’s uncertain if he would.”
The worst case would be losing a lot through a legal battle.
All three, with bitter expressions, downed another shot of soju.
After a moment of silence, Kim Yoon-soo spoke in a voice as bitter as the soju he had just drunk.
“I can’t believe there’s someone more careless than me…”
The next morning dawned anew.
As usual, on his way to work, Lee Hyun-woo’s phone rang.
It was Kim Yoon-soo.
He said he would visit in the morning.
Lee Hyun-woo thought it was about an idea for the 21st Century Venture Business Association’s legal counsel, discussed the previous day, but it turned out Kim Yoon-soo had another purpose.
“Remember the company of CEO Ku we talked about yesterday?”
“Yes, hyungnim.”
“Turns out, he’s an acquaintance of my father.”
“What? Really?”
“Yes, and he’s a notorious old man. He’s taken over companies like this several times.”
Kim Yoon-soo’s father made his money through private loans.
If he was an acquaintance, he was likely involved in similar private lending.
So, why wouldn’t he have experience in lending money to needy places and then taking over companies?
“When I was young, I witnessed such processes. This old man only thinks about taking over companies and selling them.”
“I see…”
“The problem is, his team of lawyers is so strong that he’s never lost a legal dispute.”
“Hmm…”
From what he heard, it seemed like a backstreet version of a private equity fund.
Acquiring a valuable company, growing it more expensive, and then selling it off.
‘It’s not really the same. Private equity funds don’t forcibly take over companies with absurd contracts.’
Anyway, it seemed things got more complicated.
Caught by an experienced, malicious loan shark, could Ku Man-hoi really reclaim his company?
“This won’t do. We need to bring CEO Ku in.”
“Bring him? Where? To Jungle?”
“Yes, I didn’t mention this yesterday, but we were thinking of acquiring the Internet Goblin Market.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes, we wanted to integrate the Online Headhunter operated by that site into our company. Even if that wasn’t the case, I was confident that CEO Ku, with his eye for talent and know-how, was a crucial figure.”
“I see. But will he come? People in this industry never want to let go of the companies they’ve built. Even if someone tried to take over my company, I would go crazy trying to keep it.”
“Well, when I mentioned the acquisition yesterday, he said that if it were him, he would have handed over the company.”
“Really? Maybe it’s a generational difference.”
There could certainly be a generational gap.
At this time, our country wasn’t accustomed to buying and selling companies through mergers and acquisitions.
A company grown by a founder was almost like a shared destiny.
Young people might think differently.
But not many would be as open to mergers and acquisitions as Ku Man-hoi, and given his dire situation, he might have expressed positivity to Lee Hyun-woo’s proposal out of necessity.
“Anyway, you said the person trying to take over CEO Ku’s company has never lost a legal battle, right?”
“Yes… well, that’s correct. It’s a bitter truth, but in our country, wealthy people have a better chance of winning in court.”
“Ah, so no one has fought him with a legal team of the same caliber?”
“That’s right, naturally.”
“I understand.”
“Wait, are you planning to face that old man in court?”
“I don’t need to face him. I’m trying to help CEO Ku.”
“How? By assembling a legal team of the same caliber?”
“Yes, that’s correct. If we do that, the chances of reclaiming the company will increase, and even if he fails, it won’t be easy for that old man to dispose of the company quickly.”
“That’s true, but in the meantime, CEO Ku won’t be able to work properly in his own company. That old man’s tactic is to take control by putting in experts who know the field well.”
“That’s likely.”
Lee Hyun-woo had already heard about the loan shark’s tactics from Ku Man-hoi the previous day.
He said the loan shark trying to take over his management rights had already put in another CEO and development team in the company.
This would cause severe internal strife within the company.
There are many reasons why a company’s management can be problematic, but they broadly fall into external and internal factors, with the latter being more frightening, something Lee Hyun-woo knew very well.
“So, as I mentioned earlier, we need to bring CEO Ku in.”
With a confident smile, Lee Hyun-woo showed he already had a plan in mind.
That day, Lee Hyun-woo arranged another meeting with Ku Man-hoi, and in the afternoon, he told him he would support his legal battle.
“Really?”
Ku Man-hoi’s voice trembled, as if seeking confirmation.
He would be feeling a mix of emotions.
Joy and gratitude. The cost of readily accepting. The burden. The unseen anxiety about the future.
When things get complicated, it’s best to simplify them one by one.
“There are conditions.”
“What are they?”
“You will work at our company until you reclaim your company.”
“Oh…”
Though he let out a sigh, Ku Man-hoi’s eyes were in reassurance mode.
He couldn’t find his way, but Lee Hyun-woo was offering to be his guide.
“As I mentioned before, we originally intended to acquire the Internet Goblin Market and the Online Headhunter. But with the unexpected management dispute in those two companies, we want to bring you in immediately to lay the foundation for our company’s talent development department.”
“So, you mean to operate a site similar to the Online Headhunter within Jungle.”
“We could do that, or not. What we need is a system for talent selection, not to make money from it.”
“I see…”
As Ku Man-hoi slowly nodded, he tried to guess Lee Hyun-woo’s intentions.
Last year and this year, the leading company in Korea’s information and communication industry, Jungle, had grown rapidly, but it had many gaps.
One of them was undoubtedly what Lee Hyun-woo just mentioned.
As someone who managed a company, Ku Man-hoi knew well how difficult it was to bring in talent.
Even after they joined, it wasn’t easy to find the right department that matched their aptitude and talent.
Fortunately, Ku Man-hoi had accumulated various know-how while running the Online Headhunter.
While he couldn’t be sure of other things, he was confident in the term “talent development.”
However.
“I want to build it.”
“Same as in our company?”
“Yes, that’s right. The Online Headhunter originally started as a commission from Jungle. It was born from my interpretation of the CEO’s intent, so I can build it together with the CEO within Jungle.”
“Then go ahead. However, the Jungle version of the job-seeking site will be free for job seekers for life.”
“Oh…”
Once again, Ku Man-hoi understood Lee Hyun-woo’s intention and felt grateful.
It meant they would generate revenue in the same way as the Online Headhunter.
“As I mentioned before, our company will soon start charging job seekers.”
“Charging job seekers is one of the methods that should be approached with caution.”
In his previous life, there was a case where an email service started charging and subsequently lost market share to a newly emerged portal site.
A similar situation was happening in this life.
The paid web browser ‘Navigator’ was being overshadowed by the free ‘Internet X Cross.’
Perhaps ‘Forest’ from Jungle might hasten their downfall even more than in his previous life.
As Lee Hyun-woo pondered this, he heard Ku Man-hoi’s determination.
“If I’m going out, I’ll bring the core developers too.”
A gentle smile spread across Lee Hyun-woo’s face.
Ku Man-hoi’s resolution and subsequent actions were immediate.
After the conversation that day, he went back to his company and called the core developers to a nearby restaurant to persuade them.
“I met CEO Lee Hyun-woo yesterday and today. And I’ve decided to work at Jungle. In other words, I will become the head of talent development at Jungle.”
Everyone looked surprised.
Ku Man-hoi continued to convey his stance to them.
“I don’t intend to go alone. I want to bring everyone here with me. This is also something CEO Lee has accepted. If you are willing, how about coming with me?”
Since it was a sudden proposition and persuasion, everyone was bewildered.
The room fell silent until someone broke the silence with a question.
“So, are we abandoning the company?”
“Absolutely not. We will definitely reclaim it through a legal battle, and CEO Lee Hyun-woo has promised to help.”
“And after that? Are we coming back?”
“Ah, that part is…”
Even though they intended to reclaim the company, it was not a guaranteed victory.
The questioner, aware of this, gave an awkward smile and said,
“I understand your intention, CEO. While I can’t speak for others, I will follow you.”
“So will I.”
“I will too.”
Most of them pledged to join Ku Man-hoi.
Although he wasn’t always decisive in his work, Ku Man-hoi had managed his people well.
Even so, he couldn’t hide his joy as they agreed to follow him and bowed his head.
“Thank you, everyone. It’s my fault that we’re moving the company.”
And so, Jungle welcomed its tenth department head.
