Lee Hyun-woo briefly imagined the world that would change with the birth of ‘Space War.’
First, eSports and youth culture come to mind.
While the latter focuses on cultural impact as the name suggests, the former influences broadcasting and the economy.
This game will also break down generational barriers.
In his previous life, Lee Hyun-woo built camaraderie with his colleagues through ‘Space War,’ and some even overcame their computer illiteracy with this game.
“Now that I think about it, PC bangs will probably spread too.”
Naturally, the place to build camaraderie is the PC bang.
Lee Hyun-woo mentioned colleagues, but sometimes university seniors and juniors, fathers and sons at home, or teachers and students at academies also played this game.
Of course, there were also negative impacts.
The overflow of PC bangs caused the arcade industry to shrink, and it also produced game addicts.
“Let’s not think about that.”
Lee Hyun-woo is not a god. While he can predict future events based on his past experiences, he can’t be 100% certain they will unfold that way.
The success of this game is also uncertain, so he asked Lee Jung-woo,
“Even after it’s completed, it’ll require a lot of work, right? Don’t you think?”
“Of course.”
“Then we’ll need more people than we have now.”
“Probably? Why? Are you planning to strengthen the team?”
“Of course.”
“Wow, as expected, having the company president as your brother means getting benefits right away.”
“What are you talking about? It’s not because you’re my brother. Don’t you remember what I said recently? In countries like China, where censorship is extreme, we need to reach people through content like games or music rather than portal sites.”
“I know, I was just saying. Actually, not just our game department, but even in the spring recruitment, it seems we’ll need to hire quite a few people. The kids are wanting it too.”
“Oh, I’m discussing that with Manager Goo Man-ho. By the way, I have some news that might interest you. Want to hear it now?”
“What is it?”
“It’s a bit awkward to tell you right away… How about we play 20 questions?”
“Oh, no. Just tell me, what is it?”
“Hint, it’s deeply related to Yoo Hoseon.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
At this point, Lee Hyun-woo revealed a gift for his brother.
“I’ve arranged with 【Guseong】 to set up a match for you. Yoo Hoseon is now free. You can bring her to our 【Jungle】 anytime.”
“What?”
Lee Jung-woo opened his eyes wide in surprise.
But it wasn’t a good sign.
In fact, he frowned and tried to stop Lee Hyun-woo.
“Don’t do this, hyung.”
“…?”
“No matter how well I get along with Hoseon, that’s only when we talk about common topics… It could be uncomfortable in the workplace.”
“Is that so?”
“Moreover, workplace romance? Even if our company doesn’t restrict it, if I start encouraging it, what will happen to the company?”
Lee Jung-woo, always thinking about the company.
Still, his opinion this time was very reasonable.
It made Lee Hyun-woo feel rather embarrassed.
“And we should consider Hoseon’s future too. She has a huge passion for studying. I find that admirable.”
“Oh, right… I was short-sighted.”
“You did it for me, right? I appreciate it, but if I really want to see her often, it would be better to collaborate with 【KIST】. I’ll handle that.”
Lee Hyun-woo nodded.
Collaborative research with universities had been ongoing since two years ago.
They had been working on several development projects with universities like 【Wangsimni University】, where Lee Jung-woo attends, and 【Korea University】, where Lee Hyun-woo graduated.
Adding 【KIST】 wouldn’t be a bad idea.
“Was I too hasty?”
It certainly didn’t feel reasonable.
It seemed like his feelings of indebtedness to his brother from his previous life were manifesting in this one.
“I rushed it after seeing this guy becoming a workaholic.”
He vowed not to act hastily again.
Upon reflection, even if Yoo Hoseon was talented, the recruitment was influenced by personal feelings.
Even in an era where preferential hiring was common, Lee Hyun-woo shouldn’t follow suit.
Furthermore, according to Lee Jung-woo, workplace romance could cause inconvenience.
Yoo Hoseon, the girlfriend of the CEO’s brother.
Who would dare to mistreat her?
If this accumulates, it could create cracks in the transparent management of 【Jungle】.
After all, how many perfect people are there?
Lee Hyun-woo was one of them, and it seemed like he was following his warm heart rather than his cool head when it came to his brother’s relationships.
The next day, he called Manager Goo Man-ho again.
Manager Goo Man-ho had a lot to report to Lee Hyun-woo, especially with the upcoming recruitment announcement.
The purpose of the recruitment announcement was not only to find the necessary talent but also to publicly showcase the company’s growth and development.
Since it was the first public recruitment since Goo Man-ho joined 【Jungle】, he was putting in a lot of effort.
“Our company’s concept for this recruitment is ‘Breaking the Generational Wall.’”
It was a fresh title, even for Lee Hyun-woo.
The concept itself was new, but the name ‘Breaking the Generational Wall’?
“I wanted to emphasize that our company has no age restrictions. Of course, the nature of the recruitment is the same as last year’s fall recruitment, but back then, it was just called the ‘1997 Fall Public Recruitment,’ which didn’t seem very impressive. So this time, we’re planning to put up posters in universities and retraining institutions and advertise in various media.”
“Breaking the Generational Wall? Like this?”
“Yes, exactly. Specifically, the first point is 【Jungle ver 2.0】… Here, ‘2’ signifies the second foundation period. Since it will be a large-scale recruitment, we will need many experienced people… so we called it the second foundation period.”
“Wow… That’s impressive. Really impressive.”
“Do you like it?”
“Of course. If you ever get a chance to return to 【Internet Goblin Market】, I might have to hold onto you.”
“Haha…”
Goo Man-ho gave a sheepish laugh.
From what he felt during the trial, the law favored the wealthy, but due to his initial contract mistake, it seemed unlikely he would return.
Therefore, he wanted to prove his abilities even more during this public recruitment.
“Thank you for saying that. But I don’t know if that day will come.”
“Oh dear, I must have created an awkward atmosphere.”
“No, it’s fine. Anyway, as I was saying, while posters and media advertisements are important, in the talent development market, you can’t ignore legwork. So, how about holding recruitment presentations at universities?”
“Not a bad idea.”
Although other companies were doing it, 【Jungle】 had solely relied on online recruitment until now.
It seemed like Goo Man-ho wanted to change that as well.
“Then we’ll contact universities by phone and arrange presentations with the team leaders based on the universities’ preferences. However, I plan to draft some employees from other departments. Would that be alright?”
“You mean taking employees based on their alma maters? Of course, that’s fine.”
“You understand my intention immediately. Yes, that’s correct. During the Q&A session, it would be more impactful if alumni of the university spoke.”
Listening further, it was clear he had thought of various approaches.
“It feels like another puzzle piece has been completed.”
Throughout last year, running 【Jungle】 had been mostly Lee Hyun-woo’s responsibility.
But now, with multiple supplementary parts in place, it had become much easier, making him think he could leave the company for an extended period in the future.
“Oh, speaking of universities, let’s scrap the plan for Yoo Hoseon from 【KIST】.”
“Pardon? Why… Did the talks with 【Guseong】 fall through?”
“Just consider it due to internal reasons.”
“Ah, I see.”
It was difficult to elaborate on the details.
It was due to his brother’s privacy.
Since Goo Man-ho mentioned 【Guseong】, another person came to Lee Hyun-woo’s mind.
It was Kim Tae-hyun.
“I had asked that hyung for a favor too; I guess I need to cancel it.”
Anyway, Lee Hyun-woo needed to meet Kim Tae-hyun because of the data center.
That day, Lee Hyun-woo headed to Suwon again.
“Hey, I’m here again, hyung.”
“Oh, sure. We’ve been meeting often lately because the data center is almost complete.”
“Yes. But today, I need to talk about Yoo Hoseon, whom I mentioned last time. Just forget about it…”
“What? Forget what?”
“About bringing her to our company.”
“…?”
“Don’t ask for details…”
Kim Tae-hyun chuckled at Lee Hyun-woo’s request not to ask for details.
“I think I get it. Actually, Ah-young told me. She said something’s going on with your brother, right?”
“Ah, yes. Ah-young introduced them, and it seems to be going well. So I think it would be inappropriate to bring her to our company. Workplace romance could be uncomfortable, and preferential hiring due to personal feelings could cause problems.”
“I agree with the workplace romance part, but as an ‘owner,’ you could do that. Well, anyway, understood. From our side, it’s actually better.”
As expected, a born successor thinks differently.
Maybe Kim Tae-hyun believed 【Guseong】 was his property.
“That’s why there were problems in the succession process. Tsk, tsk, tsk.”
Lee Hyun-woo hoped things would turn out differently in this life.
They would be in-laws, and he couldn’t be happy seeing Kim Tae-hyun constantly going in and out of court.
“What am I thinking?”
Thinking about a gloomy future that had not yet arrived, Lee Hyun-woo shook his head and conveyed the next message.
“Oh, and after the data center is completed, I think I’ll visit with Jamie Wang.”
“What? Really?”
“Yes, a promise is a promise.”
Initially, the condition for bringing Yoo Hoseon to 【Jungle】 was to introduce Jamie Wang, but since it was beneficial for both sides, he decided to proceed without conditions.
“Thanks. Hahaha. I owe you a treat! How about dinner tonight? Or a drink?”
“Oh, you must be busy with work and wedding preparations…”
“I’m busy, but honestly, I’m feeling a bit unsettled. That’s why I’m suggesting it.”
In the end, the treat was just an excuse.
It seemed Kim Tae-hyun was feeling uneasy about the upcoming wedding right after the data center’s completion.
“I understand that feeling.”
As the wedding approaches, one’s mind becomes complicated.
Generally, women feel it more, but men don’t have no thoughts either.
Thus, Lee Hyun-woo smiled and nodded.
“Alright. Then let’s drink until we drop tonight, hyung.”
