When Lee Hyun-woo mentioned the term “search engine,” Woo Sang-won’s face lit up.
It was precisely the field he was most confident in.
“I knew that keyword search is already possible in Jungle’s auctions and online shopping.”
“It’s still lacking, isn’t it? To list more accurate information, a search engine always needs continuous improvement.”
“Hey, it’s already great, isn’t it? But if you need my skills, I’d definitely like to help.”
“Of course. That’s why we at Jungle need competent developers like you. As I said before, think carefully and make a good decision so that we can both grow together.”
“Ah, yes…”
“I’ve said everything I need to. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask.”
At these words, Woo Sang-won thought for a moment.
He had many questions, but no specific ones came to mind.
Why? Because he wanted to find out by working directly.
Honestly, he wanted to decide immediately because he felt well-treated throughout.
But he thought it might give the impression of being hasty.
‘First impressions last throughout the work period.’
Suddenly, his former workplace, Hai, came to mind.
The first impression he gave Manager Song Gil-ho was, “Young people these days have no patience and no sense.”
No matter how decent Lee Hyun-woo seemed, he didn’t want to give a similar impression.
So, he asked a few formal questions and went home.
‘Well, let’s take a closer look at everything step by step.’
Even though he had already made up his mind, unexpected issues could still arise.
Honestly, from Lee Hyun-woo’s words alone, the job couldn’t seem more perfect, but…
‘What if it’s a scam?’
This time, he recalled the interview situation meticulously with the intention of staying for a long time.
However, no matter how he thought about it, it didn’t seem like the CEO would gain anything from deceiving him.
Even Lee Hyun-woo mentioned that he would document the terms discussed earlier in the contract.
Such a safeguard also meant that the minimum anxiety of potentially reversing his words from today’s interview was alleviated.
In the end, Woo Sang-won picked up the receiver and dialed the CEO’s cell phone number he had received earlier.
And then…
“I’ve made my decision. Can I start next week?”
His voice trembled, hoping that his previously poor luck with jobs would finally turn in Jungle.
But once again, he heard a voice that made him feel valued through the receiver.
(Thank you so much for choosing Jungle.)
He could feel the emotional wounds received from Song Gil-ho melting away like snow.
Meanwhile, after finishing the call with Woo Sang-won, Lee Hyun-woo’s younger brother, Lee Jung-woo, was by his side.
“Is he coming?”
“Yes, he’s coming.”
“Wow, that’s great. I wanted more people in the search engine team.”
“Right?”
It was now 7 PM, and the two brothers were enjoying an evening with draft beer outside.
“By the way, with Woo Sang-won joining, we’ll have a total of eight developers.”
“Why? Are you worried that we hired too many recently?”
“No way. Do you know how much money we made just from the Candy Boy CD? It’s truly astonishing, your foresight.”
“Starting to shower me with praise? I should clean my ears to hear it better.”
“You always joke around, but honestly, no one wasn’t surprised by this. As soon as they debuted, Candy Boy has been setting new records in album sales.”
“We were lucky.”
“How can you be lucky every day?”
“Do you want some bad luck to balance it out later?”
“No, not at all. Let’s get back to the topic. Ah! I’ll be returning to school next week, so I won’t have much time. If he starts tomorrow, we should ensure a thorough handover. That way, we can justify our paychecks even when I’m not around.”
Lee Hyun-woo smiled broadly at his brother’s words.
He certainly talks more about money than before.
And it’s always about outgoing money, not incoming.
‘Why is this guy always calculating expenses in his head these days?’
Is he anxious about money?
There’s no need to be, considering how much we’re earning.
Maybe, unlike Lee Hyun-woo, who meticulously plans for the future, Lee Jung-woo thinks they might slip up someday.
So he keeps talking about money.
He even brings up expenses abruptly while drinking.
“Starting next month, our labor costs will exceed 80 million won. No, it’ll probably approach 100 million. Right?”
“With rent, utilities, and part-time workers, our fixed monthly expenses easily surpass 100 million.”
“Ah, and we need to buy servers. At this rate, we’ll probably need to add five good servers by the end of this year.”
“And we’ll keep hiring more people, needing more offices, warehouses, and research labs, so expanding again will cost a lot.”
“Wow, another expansion?”
“Yes. This time, maybe we should lease an entire building?”
“Hyung, let’s take it slow. Don’t rush too much. Dad said, ‘Businesses can boom once and then hit a decline.’”
He smirked.
Lee Hyun-woo laughed again.
His brother had transitioned from a developer’s mindset to that of a manager.
‘Well, it’s not bad.’
But only thinking about outgoing money is a very conservative management style.
He couldn’t let his brother, who would one day take a major role in the company, grow up like that.
“How much do you think we earn in a month?”
“Huh? Well, you said we made about 200 million won before, so… 250 million now?”
“300 million.”
“Really? That much? Ah, Candy Boy’s album sold quite a lot this time, didn’t it?”
“Our auction is well-established, and computer and peripheral sales in online shopping are jumping every month.”
“Right, right.”
“With the increase in female users, it’s time to expand our range.”
“Huh? To what?”
Shin Sung-hoon, Clonze, and Candy Boy.
Jungle was becoming a mecca for album sales.
At the same time, aside from Shin Sung-hoon and Candy Boy, they were selling concert tickets for singers with a lot of female fans, leading to a rapid increase in teenage and twenty-something female users.
Recently, there was even a movement to organize fan clubs through internet cafe services, so it was inevitable to consider another expansion method for online shopping.
So, Lee Hyun-woo confidently opened his mouth.
“Cosmetics.”
“What?”
“We should sell cosmetics.”
When an unexpected item came from his brother’s mouth, Lee Jung-woo just blinked.
Lee Hyun-woo laughed and finalized the decision.
“Tomorrow, I’ll instruct the sales team to visit cosmetic companies.”
Indeed, the next day, Lee Hyun-woo directed the sales team to look into cosmetics, and he explained in detail how incorporating cosmetics into shopping could work to those who wore the same puzzled expression as his brother.
Lee Hyun-woo had a knack for simplifying complex things, so the sales team perfectly understood and rushed out of the office.
Seeing this, Lee Hyun-woo beamed.
It felt like the word “performance” was hanging over their shoulders.
‘Cosmetics tend to have a lot of inflated prices.’
If we reduce that and sell, would the profit be significant?
While Jungle’s sales team was contacting cosmetic companies, Korea’s IT ecosystem was rapidly changing.
This was because the successful Jungle was becoming prominent in the industry.
As a result, similar models were being repeatedly created, and soon, a form combining technology and capital emerged.
“Elo, opening the era of department stores through the internet!”
The distribution giant, Elo Group, was preparing an “internet department store” for online shopping.
Upon reading this news, Lee Hyun-woo convened a meeting.
The usually unshakable CEO was about to declare emergency management over Elo’s internet department store news?
The expressions of the team leaders, who had gradually emerged, were full of curiosity.
“I hope more competitors and collaborators are born, so I fundamentally welcome Elo Group’s ‘internet department store.’”
“……”
“But unfortunately, I don’t think it’ll work out well.”
“……?”
Recently, Jungle had significantly increased its number of employees through frequent hiring.
For work efficiency, teams were created, resulting in several team leaders.
Among them, Jang Yoo-chul spoke up first.
“You always said that combining capital and technology would expand the industry. Isn’t that right?”
“That’s correct. But they have the wrong direction. Who are the main customers of department stores?”
“Middle class? Wealthy class?”
“Those people use department stores to feel differentiated from others. But would they use an internet department store where their faces and names are not well-known?”
“Ah…”
“And the prices aren’t cheap either. Of course, it would be cheaper than what’s displayed in department stores, but our site’s 10s and 20s, or early 30s customers, would find it hard to purchase high-priced items easily. So it can’t help but fail.”
This was Lee Hyun-woo’s conclusion.
In fact, there was a basis for it.
‘Elo’s blunders are just like in my previous life.’
In his past life, Elo Group also started an internet department store.
It could be seen as the beginning of online shopping in Korea.
But as soon as it started, it was in the red, and it remained in the red until it ended.
“The encouraging thing is that such places are increasing. As you know, the more online shopping emerges, the wider the area and space for us to thrive. The related industry also grows. So, let me ask, Han Se-jin?”
“Yes, CEO.”
“How’s the negotiation with Taepyung Cosmetics?”
“We’re in price negotiations. It should be finalized within this week.”
How cheaply they could buy directly depended on the quantity.
In other words, the more they bought, the lower the price.
Lee Hyun-woo gave Han Se-jin the authority.
He seemed to be taking his time adjusting the quantity and price, but this would be a standard to evaluate Han Se-jin’s capability.
‘Honestly, the people who worked in the early days of the company had a stroke of luck, so they need to keep proving their abilities.’
Along with Jang Yoo-chul, Han Se-jin had also donned the team leader title earlier.
As the number of people increased, a middle manager was needed, so it was an inevitable personnel decision, but it couldn’t be denied that it was incredibly fast.
Meeting the reincarnated Lee Hyun-woo was their blessing, so they had to demonstrate their abilities accordingly.
The same went for everyone else.
After the meeting, Lee Hyun-woo called Kang Dong-ho separately.
“Are you fully adjusted to the company now?”
“Sounds like you’re asking me to come up with an idea?”
“I felt this during the interview, but you understand things well.”
“I’ve always been told I’m quick-witted.”
“Then, if your idea isn’t good, I won’t hide my disappointment.”
“Actually, I’ve been thinking about the delivery structure.”
Finally, he began to speak.
It seemed he hadn’t been following around aimlessly.
I’m excited.
What kind of idea will he come up with?
