Originally, equity swaps have been frequently used to build cooperative relationships between companies in the same industry or industries that can create mutual synergy.
Before meeting Billy Cates and Smith Balmer, Lee Hyun-woo suggested an equity swap to Kim Sung-moo.
- Now is the perfect time to secure shares of 【Macro Soft】.
With the U.S. Department of Justice’s indictment and the replacement of the company’s CEO, the situation has currently hit rock bottom.
However, Lee Hyun-woo believed that the stock price of 【Macro Soft】 was bound to rise.
At least that’s what Lee Hyun-woo thought as he proposed an equity swap among the three companies to Kim Sung-moo.
After parting ways with Billy Cates and Smith Balmer, Kim Sung-moo smiled contentedly.
‘That guy is really something…’
No matter how much he thought about it, Lee Hyun-woo was so adept at these matters that it made him doubt his age.
Therefore, the future looked even more promising.
How much more would 【Jungle】 grow, and what kind of footprint would 【Guseong】 leave by joining hands with it?
This expectation was not only held by Kim Sung-moo.
Soon, everyone responded,
『【Guseong Electronics】 to develop PDA equipped with 【Macro Soft】’s Windows!』
『Is the era of PDA upon us?』
『The first ambitious project of 【Macro Soft】’s new chairman Smith Balmer, PDA operating system!』
『It was 【Jungle】 that brought together 【Guseong Electronics】 and 【Macro Soft】!』
『【Jungle】 aims to open a new world through openness and sharing』
『Exclusive! 【Jungle】, 【Guseong Electronics】, and 【Macro Soft】 verbally agree on equity swap among the three companies!』
The news broke continuously.
This news didn’t just flood domestic outlets.
Foreign media also kept reporting the news of the three companies joining hands.
Naturally, this favorable news began to be reflected in the stock prices of 【Guseong Electronics】 and 【Macro Soft】.
This is what synergy is. When three companies come together, even before any profits are made, the mere expectation of people is reflected in the stock market.
‘The atmosphere has already caught fire before it even started.’
It already felt like new products were being made, making Kim Sung-moo’s heart flutter.
Seizing the moment, he imagined the future of 【Guseong】.
It was undeniable that the successor was Kim Tae-hyun.
But if Kim Ah-young, the largest shareholder of 【Seorabeol Hotel】, and Lee Hyun-woo of 【Jungle】 joined forces, they could grow to a scale similar to or even larger than 【Guseong】.
This imagination portrayed 【Guseong】 and 【Jungle】 growing into a super-giant group in his mind.
‘This is almost like creating an eternal 【Guseong】 empire.’
Was it because his heart swelled with this overwhelming imagination?
Not long after, Kim Sung-moo visited 【Jungle】.
It was the first time he had come to meet Lee Hyun-woo in person.
Naturally, surprise was etched on Lee Hyun-woo’s face.
“What would you like to drink…”
“Coffee, please.”
“Yes, understood.”
As the titan of the era visited, the secretarial office became busy.
Lee Hyun-woo was also quite curious about why he had come.
Seeing his expression, Kim Sung-moo smiled and answered.
“I came by for a visit. I also wanted to chat with you.”
“With me?”
“Yes. Ah, should we talk about PDAs? Or 【Macro Soft】? It doesn’t matter, I’ll just stay for an hour.”
Seeing further evidence that he had come without a set agenda, Lee Hyun-woo was somewhat surprised.
As far as he knew, Kim Sung-moo was always a person with a clear sense of purpose.
Even when he occasionally visited his home, he would call him in and steer the conversation in the direction he wanted, and each time Lee Hyun-woo would tell him what he wanted to hear.
Now it was different. Not knowing what he wanted to hear, he hesitated for a moment about what topic to bring up.
‘No, there’s no need for that.’
Having no topic meant Lee Hyun-woo could talk about whatever he wanted, didn’t it?
In that case…
“Billy Cates is expected to make a donation soon.”
“Donation?”
“Yes, over 90% of his total wealth.”
“Really? Did he express that?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
It was a statement that seemed true but was actually based on past life knowledge. In his previous life, Billy Cates had announced that he would donate over 90% of his wealth to society after his death.
Not only Billy Cates but also Zuke Marker Burger of 【Face Note】 planned to donate 99%, Cook Team of 【Apple】 intended to donate all his wealth, and other super-wealthy individuals in the U.S. generally aimed to return their wealth to society.
“It’s not time to announce it yet, so it hasn’t been made public, but he plans to inform the world at some point. Hearing that, I also made up my mind.”
“Surely… you…”
“Yes, I also plan to donate 90% of my wealth later.”
“……”
Kim Sung-moo’s mouth slightly opened. A whopping 90%? Considering the scale of 【Jungle】 that had grown in his imagination, a staggering amount of money would be returned to society.
‘This guy doesn’t plan to pass it down to his own children?’
If they were Hyun-woo’s children, they would be grandchildren to Kim Sung-moo.
Naturally, he couldn’t help but feel it was a waste.
Lee Hyun-woo could certainly read Kim Sung-moo’s expression.
‘If you were expecting something, I’m sorry.’
Lee Hyun-woo was living a second life. Knowing there was life after death, he couldn’t help but do a lot of good while alive.
‘The high-ranking official from the afterlife appeared in my dream and told me something.’
He had asked him to change society along with the development of technology.
Of course, it might have been just a simple dream, but having returned to the past because of the high-ranking official from the afterlife, Lee Hyun-woo couldn’t ignore what he said in the dream.
On the other hand, Kim Sung-moo thought to himself.
‘This guy is definitely different from others.’
He neither saw the 90% donation of his wealth positively nor negatively.
He just thought Lee Hyun-woo was unique, hence such thoughts.
Moreover, people are always bound to change, so the thoughts of the young now would inevitably differ from those in the future.
‘By then, he will become more realistic.’
Kim Sung-moo didn’t know. The fact that the Lee Hyun-woo in front of him had already experienced over fifty years of life and returned to the past.
Unaware, he laughed heartily and spent an enjoyable hour in conversation.
Interestingly, Kim Sung-moo, who thought Lee Hyun-woo would change later, ended up being influenced.
It felt like going back to the time he said, ‘Change everything except your wife and children.’
At that time, Kim Sung-moo also felt a sense of crisis while observing the outdated corporate culture in Korea.
He stepped forward publicly, who had always quietly handled matters.
He criticized the blatant limitations of 【Guseong】 and rebuked the management for being content with maintaining the status quo. He even directly explained his management vision to the lowest-level employees.
This was referred to as new management at the time, and it seemed that as a result, 【Guseong】 grew into what it is today.
Alongside new management, Kim Sung-moo also benchmarked leading companies.
Among them was 【Sonik】, and it was quite touching that recently Lee Hyun-woo had even suggested preparing to compete against that company.
‘Is it because the generation has changed? Unlike our time, young people nowadays seem fearless.’
Which was even better. Businessmen of Kim Sung-moo’s era often avoided climbing trees they couldn’t reach, but Lee Hyun-woo faced them head-on, aiming to win.
The recent bold three-way equity swap with 【Macro Soft】 might also be due to this mindset.
‘Yes, I should learn what I can.’
As the times have changed again, he wanted to boldly adopt the management techniques of Lee Hyun-woo, who might become his son-in-law.
As soon as he got into the car, he said to his chief secretary,
“Tell our economic research institute to analyze everything about 【Jungle】 from A to Z and bring the results directly to me.”
“Yes, Chairman.”
And a few days later,
“……!”
Though he had heard a lot about it, seeing the analysis of 【Jungle】, Kim Sung-moo was culturally shocked.
To summarize briefly:
9 to 5 work hours: Employees work from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and if they cannot adhere to this and need to work overtime, they must engage in physical training to continue working.
Flexible working hours: If employees arrive before 9 a.m., they can leave before 5 p.m. They must adhere to the 8-hour work rule, so some employees even start at midnight and leave at 8 a.m.
Remote work: Employees can work from home. In fact, even the directors of 【Jungle】 don’t go to the office but work from apartments. However, there are cases where CEO Lee Hyun-woo often visits the directors to forcibly drag them out for working too much.
These were just the tip of the iceberg.
【Jungle】 employed nationally certified masseuses to relieve fatigue in the office, encouraged club activities for employees, and sent them on rotational overseas workshops.
At first glance, it seemed like the company was run with excessive freedom, bordering on neglect.
However, the results were different.
Innovative content always came out of 【Jungle】, perhaps because of this corporate culture.
“I don’t know about other things, but we could immediately implement some of these.”
“Pardon? Ah, yes… which ones…?”
“We could immediately implement the work hours policy, don’t you think? Of course, we’ll need more people, but we could hire a bit more generously in the upcoming recruitment.”
His chief secretary, Seo Jung-gi, nodded and mentally noted it down.
To convey this to the relevant departments the next day.
‘The Chairman must really like that person.’
Seo Jung-gi thought Kim Sung-moo had a strong sense of pride.
To the extent that he believed there was no need to benchmark domestically.
But he was willing to adopt the work hours policy from 【Jungle】.
‘But he wouldn’t follow their recruitment process, would he?’
The recruitment process at 【Jungle】 was a topic of much debate in the industry.
Last time, they even conducted interviews over drinks, and opinions were divided.
One side believed that 【Jungle】’s unique interview methods continually drove innovation, while the other side dismissed it as a one-off stunt with no real significance.
Seo Jung-gi held a middle ground.
He thought the drinking interview went too far, but if they stuck to traditional methods, they would only get cookie-cutter employees from universities.
Was the Chairman thinking the same?
“Ah, we should also tell HR to tweak the interview process. It’s always the same, so it needs some change. What’s your opinion?”
Seo Jung-gi smiled and replied,
“I completely agree with you, Chairman.”
Kim Sung-moo looked at Seo Jung-gi with the same expression.
