On this day, it was also a day for Lee Hyun-woo to attend a training session.
Therefore, when they arrived at the academy,
“It seems there are no reporters today either.”
Han Se-jin, after taking a quick look around, informed Lee Hyun-woo.
Since he started attending this academy last month, it has been one of his duties to be on the lookout.
And just as Lee Hyun-woo had told Kim Na-yoon the previous day, the reporters seemed to have lost interest.
‘Well, it must be boring to write about the same thing every day.’
The topic of interest only lasted for a few times.
After publishing several articles about Lee Hyun-woo attending the academy, they clearly noticed a sharp drop in viewership.
At some point, reporters could measure the public’s interest and attention by the number of online articles, and they began to use that metric to follow trends.
This phenomenon emerged as various blogs and 【Make Friends】 started to dominate the internet.
The competitors of the media were now SNS, meaning that to capitalize on their strengths, they had to chase after hot topics and people, engaging in intense coverage competition.
They had no idea that today’s hot topic would appear here.
It was none other than Kim Na-yoon.
Lee Hyun-woo also did not know that Kim Na-yoon would come until he received a text message just as he was getting out of the car.
Oppa, I’m here to register today.
Oh? Really? I’m here for a class today too.
Wow, really?
Where are you? No, I’ll come to the registration area.
Yes, oppa.
By the way, this academy operated by the 21st Century Venture Business Association started holding classes in a new building from this February.
The number of registrations increased significantly after rumors spread last December that Lee Hyun-woo would be attending.
Moreover, with the new government coming in, the president-elect mentioned cultivating talent in the information and communication field and specifically mentioned this academy.
He emphasized that the good work being done by the 21st Century Venture Business Association could not be overlooked when it came to policy funding.
Believing that, the academy moved to a much larger location.
‘There are really a lot of people now.’
Lee Hyun-woo could see the people’s interest at the registration desk.
The age range was varied, not discriminating by age or gender.
“Na-yoon!”
Amidst the crowd, Lee Hyun-woo spotted Kim Na-yoon and called out to her.
Some people recognized Lee Hyun-woo, but he didn’t mind and approached her, saying,
“Are you here to register today?”
“Yes, but I don’t know what to do.”
“You were interested in design, right?”
“Yes, but I was also interested in programming before.”
“Oh, right.”
“And now that I’m here, I’m wondering if I should start with the basics.”
“That’s a good mindset. A solid foundation is essential whether it’s design or programming.”
Lee Hyun-woo looked at Kim Na-yoon with a proud expression.
Then he said,
“That’s great. Try attending the class I’m taking and decide.”
“The class you’re taking? I probably can’t yet.”
“What do you mean? I’m in the beginner class.”
“What? Really?”
“You don’t read the newspaper, do you? It was detailed in there.”
Of course, the newspaper had embellished it with various rhetorical expressions.
They reported that Lee Hyun-woo, the head of an information and communication company, was setting an example by starting from the basics to strengthen his foundation.
Naturally, this was something the chief secretary, who stood behind Lee Hyun-woo, had prearranged with the media.
“Anyway, attend today’s class. There’s an auditing system.”
“Oh, okay, I’ll do that.”
A little later.
“Hello!”
Lee Hyun-woo entered the classroom with a strong voice, drawing the attention of the seated people.
Most of them were older than Lee Hyun-woo, and they greeted him warmly.
“Hello!”
“CEO, you’re here?”
“You’re so diligent. No wonder 【Jungle】 is doing well.”
These were the people of the hardware basics class that Lee Hyun-woo had been seeing twice a week for the past month.
They were middle-aged people who had lost their jobs and were trying to catch up with the information age.
“But you came with a young lady today.”
“Oh? She’s not your girlfriend, is she?”
“No way…”
“Hey, of course not, right?”
Being middle-aged, they slightly crossed the line with their jokes and pranks.
Lee Hyun-woo smiled and honestly clarified,
“Of course not. She’s my future sister-in-law.”
“Oh? Then…”
“Okay, that’s enough! What’s wrong with you all? CEO Lee feels uncomfortable with these kinds of things.”
“Right, right. If we want CEO Lee to keep attending, let’s not pry any further.”
Eventually, they sorted it out among themselves.
In fact, these people drew strength just from knowing that Lee Hyun-woo was attending the beginner class.
At first, they thought it was a kind of show, but it turned out that Lee Hyun-woo was indeed learning from the beginning.
The instructor had mentioned it a few times.
Lee Hyun-woo knew a lot, but it seemed there were gaps in his fundamentals here and there.
What Lee Hyun-woo said in response was a masterpiece.
- It would have been better if I had known nothing. It seems harder to erase what I know and learn from scratch.
Surprisingly, that statement gave strength to those dreaming of a new life.
In reality, they were blank slates.
Although they realized that Lee Hyun-woo learned much faster than expected as the class progressed, even then, it provided them with strength in its own way.
Lee Hyun-woo did not ignore them but taught them a lot as a colleague,
- Please apply to our company later. Oh, I’m not saying to come in through my backing as the CEO, but confidently with your skills.
He even gave them such encouragement, making it impossible not to like him.
Moreover, those words were not empty.
It was proven once again during today’s class,
“Is it true that 【Jungle】 will be recruiting new and experienced employees soon?”
Instructor Ki Myung-soo, who was not the type to stick strictly to the class, glanced at Lee Hyun-woo to subtly stir the surroundings.
“How did you know?”
“I saw the announcement. It said recruitment would start next month.”
“Haha, yes, that’s right.”
“What’s impressive about your company is that there are no specific qualification requirements for applicants.”
“Yes, there aren’t many people who have received proper education in the information and communication field. Even those who have often need to learn from scratch when they join.”
“You’re absolutely right, and as someone who teaches computer and information communication, it’s embarrassing.”
At this point, Instructor Ki Myung-soo addressed the entire class.
“In fact, the theory and practice of computers and information communication are very different. I don’t mean to say you’re learning the wrong things. By the time you challenge for reemployment after learning everything, the technologies in both hardware and software have drastically changed. In other words, trends change so fast that you often have to learn from scratch again.”
“Ah…”
“I see…”
People nodded as if they now understood.
Seeing their reactions, Instructor Ki Myung-soo once again emphasized,
“However, the basics do not change. The types of hardware and their variations are not significantly different from what you learn, so I believe there wouldn’t be a problem even if you only take the basics and apply to companies. Right?”
At the end, he turned his gaze back to Lee Hyun-woo, asking for confirmation.
Naturally, Lee Hyun-woo nodded.
“Of course. And the people here know that too. When they see new employees at their companies, don’t they often think, what did they learn in college?”
“That’s right!”
“Exactly.”
“It’s frustrating sometimes.”
“Indeed.”
“That shows how different theory and practice are. Additionally, 【Jungle】 not only needs developers but also lacks talents in other fields who understand information and communication. If half of the people needed are those who sit in the lab developing, the other half are those who plan products and content, promote them, and sell them to buyers. Moreover, teams managing direct purchases and inventory at 【Jungle Shopping】 are always thirsty for experienced and seasoned veterans.”
Since it was true, his voice carried sincerity.
How could people not be motivated by that?
Seeing this, Instructor Ki Myung-soo once again grabbed everyone’s attention.
“Oh dear, my biggest flaw has shown again. Digression! Let’s limit the digression to this and get back to the class. But… where were we?”
“The history of mainframe servers!”
“Yes, they say the mainframe is synonymous with servers, but it’s a bit different in reality.”
“That’s right, exactly. You guys are much better than the digressing instructor. Hahaha. Yes, there was a time when the mainframe was used as a substitute term for servers, but nowadays, with the emergence of Unix, some distinctions have started to be made.”
Watching Instructor Ki Myung-soo return to the lesson, Kim Na-yoon, who was auditing the class, was impressed.
‘He really teaches well.’
If it had been just a straight lecture from start to finish, the rigidity would have made it difficult to absorb the content.
Pretending to digress, he motivated people and then asked for their focus again by pretending to forget where they left off.
Moreover, Kim Na-yoon noticed that Instructor Ki Myung-soo would occasionally make eye contact with Lee Hyun-woo.
‘Oppa is amazing too. He secretly collaborates with the instructor to make people more eager to learn.’
Before coming here, Kim Na-yoon had met her friend Park Ji-soo.
Park Ji-soo, who came from a fairly well-off family, had been saying that her father’s company was not doing well since the second half of last year, and recently, it went bankrupt.
So her expression was very gloomy.
Park Ji-soo had gotten into the university and department she wanted, while Kim Na-yoon, who didn’t get into her desired place, had to console her.
It might be a delusion, but she felt that if she brought the gloomy Park Ji-soo to her oppa, he could make her smile immediately.
‘After all, I felt better thanks to oppa as well.’
Perhaps the people here felt a similar way.
Even though they knew Lee Hyun-woo and the instructor were orchestrating it, they accepted the hope they offered and burned with enthusiasm.
‘I can’t fall behind either.’
At this moment, she made a decision.
She would start learning the basics thoroughly and then move on to web or character design.
‘I will never give up on my dream.’
The next day, Kim Ah-young mentioned Kim Na-yoon’s change to Lee Hyun-woo.
“Maybe it’s because you gave her gifts and comforted her, but she seems brighter.”
“Really?”
“Yes, I expected it since Na-yoon thinks of you as her role model, but I didn’t expect her to get better so quickly.”
“That’s a relief. But it’s not just because of me.”
“Huh?”
“This is a secret…”
“…….”
“Na-yoon registered at the academy run by the 21st Century Venture Business Association.”
“……!”
Kim Ah-young’s eyes grew wide.
“Re… really?”
“Yes, she asked me to keep it a secret, but I’m telling you specially.”
“Oh my, what is she thinking? If Dad and Mom find out…”
“And you?”
“Huh?”
“What do you think about Na-yoon working hard to achieve her dream?”
“Well…”
Kim Ah-young couldn’t easily answer the sudden question.
But it felt more like advice than a question.
- Let’s support Na-yoon’s dream if we can.
She realized that she couldn’t take responsibility for Kim Na-yoon’s life.
And it had become clear recently where her youngest sister’s happiness lay.
“Phew, you’re right. If she’s working so hard to achieve her dream, I should support her properly.”
“That’s a relief. Na-yoon is lucky to have a good unnie.”
Kim Ah-young smiled. In reality, it was not just a good unnie but also her unnie’s good boyfriend that Kim Na-yoon had.
‘By the way, Hyun-woo is gradually changing our family.’
One step at a time.
