Actually, Kim Ah-young was feeling humiliated.
It wasn’t because Lee Hyun-woo didn’t treat her like a chaebol daughter, but because he gave her an indifferent look when he saw her.
She had never experienced such a thing before, so she felt strangely irritated.
To get some fresh air, she went down to the lobby and met a familiar face.
“Oh?”
It was Choi Sun-hwa, the second daughter of [Aejeong Group].
The person who was also in a hurry to enter recognized Kim Ah-young and immediately approached her with a greeting.
“Ah-young, it’s been a while.”
“Indeed, it has. What brings you here?”
“I just have some business to attend to.”
At this point, Kim Ah-young was about to ask what business it was when a thought suddenly came to her.
‘Oh, could it be that thing earlier?’
She had overheard it unintentionally, but Lee Hyun-woo and an employee from [Jungle Soft] mentioned [Taepyung Cosmetics].
They also talked about meeting someone and said they would definitely surpass [Taepyung Cosmetics].
Was that ‘someone’ Choi Sun-hwa, the second daughter of [Aejeong Group]?
‘But why did she dress up like this?’
There were a few renowned beauties among the chaebol families.
Although it felt a bit conceited to say it herself, she was one of them, and another was Choi Sun-hwa, standing before her.
Today, her long straight hair and the seemingly makeup-free but meticulously cared-for face caught her eye.
As she was observing this, Choi Sun-hwa spoke again urgently.
“Sorry, I think I’m a bit late, so I’ll head up first. See you later.”
A bit late?
‘They should be having a meeting in the meeting room now.’
In other words, even if she goes now, she won’t meet him.
More precisely, Choi Sun-hwa also wanted to face Lee Hyun-woo’s attitude from earlier.
She began to imagine different scenarios.
Let’s talk after the meeting.
She pictured Lee Hyun-woo looking at Choi Sun-hwa with a face saying, “Why did you come when I’m so busy?”
Of course, these thoughts only lasted a moment.
Soon, she watched the back of Choi Sun-hwa passing by and muttered in a small voice.
“Cosmetics, huh… Why do I suddenly want to enter that business?”
At that very moment, Lee Hyun-woo was feeling satisfied.
The workshop at the hotel was successful from the beginning.
Ideas were flowing from the employees’ minds.
“There are too many types, so it would be good to narrow it down to just one or two. And then we can lower the unit price by purchasing in bulk from [Taepyung Cosmetics]. I believe there’s no better marketing than pricing.”
“I agree. So, how about starting with makeup base and twin cake, as those two are essential?”
“Running a trial group might also be a good idea. Have them leave reviews certifying that the quality is no different from the cosmetics sold offline.”
“There really is no difference. [Taepyung] said they would supply the exact same products.”
“How about using an advertising model this time? Thanks to using Clones in the flyer last time, our site has become quite well-known.”
“That was done out of loyalty, so the advertising marketing costs were almost non-existent. However, hiring an advertising model and promoting through media at our company’s current stage would face cost issues.”
Lee Hyun-woo raised his hand with a smile, indicating he had something to say.
In such cases, the CEO’s words took precedence, and people deliberately kept quiet.
Now was no exception.
“I think it’s okay to incorporate all the opinions. In summary, we will initially sell two types in bulk: makeup base and twin cake. The unit price will be 80% of the offline price. Instead, shipping costs will be temporarily free, whether it exceeds 10,000 won or not.”
“…”
“For the trial group operation, the development team will need to assist. Writing separate product reviews is fine, but personally, I think giving each trial group member their own web page wouldn’t be a bad idea.”
Lee Hyun-woo always kept portal sites in mind.
Even now, he subtly mentioned blogs.
However, no one noticed.
Or rather, some had a vague idea.
So, they opened their eyes wide.
Giving each person a web page was not an easy task.
Seeing their expressions and gaze, Lee Hyun-woo regained his composure.
‘Alright, let’s take that slowly later.’
Currently, the [Jungle] website is evolving.
Even without his complex instructions, online auctions and shopping were merging with portal site functions these days.
Thus, Lee Hyun-woo was curious about how far [Jungle] could evolve.
Time would tell.
“Lastly, there’s no need for an advertising model. [Taepyung Cosmetics] is already running several advertisements. We can collaborate with them to display ads on the internet.”
“Oh…”
“If we really need to, we should strengthen our own [Jungle] ads. Since Han Se-jin has worked with various agencies, I hope we can recruit someone good. Although advertising production costs money, we can earn that back, right?”
“Wooooow!”
Clap clap clap clap clap clap!
People cheered and clapped at the CEO’s boldness.
However, Lee Hyun-woo continued speaking in a calm voice.
“We can also receive advertisements.”
“…”
This time, silence fell.
They didn’t fully understand Lee Hyun-woo’s suggestion of receiving advertisements.
Needing to explain, Lee Hyun-woo directed his soft, mid-range voice towards the entangled development team.
“Shin Sung-hoon, Clones, Candy Boy, and other albums have made our website a place where numerous netizens visit. If brands are exposed to them?”
“…!”
“TV operates the same way. Countless viewers watch ads unconsciously. Broadcasting stations charge money to show those ads. Let’s do the same. If we announce that we will expose ads, there will likely be many interested companies.”
The looks in people’s eyes had changed.
Their breaths seemed slightly quicker.
Looking at them with a gentle smile, Lee Hyun-woo thought,
‘You see the money, don’t you?’
Living his second life, he realized once again that making money wasn’t difficult when he laid the groundwork early on.
As he was about to feel a sudden wave of regret for living as a workaholic in his past life,
Riiiiing.
A cellphone rang.
It wasn’t Lee Hyun-woo’s.
Seeing Han Se-jin suddenly stand up and head towards the entrance, it seemed the manager from [Aejeong Group] he mentioned earlier had arrived.
‘I’m meeting two chaebol daughters today.’
Neither of them had pre-arranged appointments.
At least the woman he was about to meet had contacted Han Se-jin in advance, allowing him to mentally prepare.
For now, Lee Hyun-woo gave the employees a break.
“The meeting ends here. From now on, take a break, walk around the hotel, go outside, and come back with more ideas. We’ll discuss them again over dinner tonight.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the employees stood up.
Their faces varied greatly by team.
The development team looked like they had been given homework, while the consulting team seemed simply excited.
At the young age of twenty, it was understandable.
‘In my past life, I would have envied that age.’
Lee Hyun-woo was now twenty-seven.
To enjoy a youthful life without regrets, he was trying to live a balanced life now, not just work.
And yet, he still saw money everywhere.
Shortly after, Choi Sun-hwa, brought in by Han Se-jin, seemed poised to contribute to Lee Hyun-woo’s wealth accumulation.
“I’ll be straightforward. We also want to sell cosmetics through the [Jungle] website.”
She came on strong.
For a moment, Lee Hyun-woo gazed at Choi Sun-hwa’s face.
‘Transparent makeup.’
[Duksung Group] also dealt in cosmetics.
As a workaholic, Lee Hyun-woo had researched and deeply delved into that.
Choi Sun-hwa’s skin, cleanly processed with basic skincare, makeup base, and foundation, caught his eye.
This makeup technique would become popular in a few years; was she ahead of her time?
After a short stream of consciousness, Lee Hyun-woo looked directly into her eyes and spoke in a low voice.
“There are two ways. Did you hear the explanation from our manager Han Se-jin?”
“No, I was in such a hurry.”
“The first way is to sell cosmetics to us in bulk at a significantly reduced unit price.”
“And the second?”
“We just connect you with the consumers. In other words, we take orders and inform you, you handle the payment and delivery. There will be a middleman fee.”
“There are pros and cons.”
“The first way, you don’t have to worry. Just sell the products to us, and it’s done. The second way, you handle it but can set the prices yourself.”
As expected from her seemingly hasty nature, Choi Sun-hwa made a quick decision.
“I’ll go with the second option.”
Lee Hyun-woo didn’t interfere with her choice and slowly nodded.
‘We should focus on managing inventory and shipping for [Taepyung Cosmetics] for now.’
Lee Hyun-woo aimed for an economy of scale like [Amazoness].
However, managing warehouses and shipping costs required enormous capital.
They were currently in the process of building that.
In this situation, Lee Hyun-woo gladly accepted her choice.
On a roll, he proposed something discussed earlier in the meeting.
“What about advertising?”
“Advertising?”
“Yes, we are planning banner ads for more exposure on our website.”
“That sounds good.”
“Then I’ll tell Manager Han Se-jin to discuss it with your team.”
“Please do.”
Everything was proceeding smoothly, almost too smoothly.
‘If we do well, we might grow bigger than I thought within this year.’
As the company grows, the possibilities expand.
Thinking about it already made him smile unconsciously.
Looking at Choi Sun-hwa with that smile, he asked with his eyes,
‘Shall we end here unless there’s more business to discuss?’
His gaze conveyed that message.
However, perhaps liking Lee Hyun-woo’s consistently bright demeanor, Choi Sun-hwa unexpectedly asked,
“Since it’s come to this, how about dinner? I’d like to discuss cosmetics and hear more about the advertising.”
“Sorry, I have dinner plans with my employees.”
A faint disappointment spread across Choi Sun-hwa’s face.
After all, she was a client.
Moreover, she could become an advertiser, and yet he wouldn’t make time for dinner.
But then,
“When would be a good time for you? Since work hours are busy, a more convenient time would be better.”
Choi Sun-hwa was somewhat different from Kim Ah-young, whom Lee Hyun-woo had encountered earlier.
If anything, she seemed to want clear answers and decisions on the spot for the matters she brought up.
After a brief thought, Lee Hyun-woo said,
“I’ll contact you later.”
This was practically a rejection.
The reason was simple.
‘I almost got caught up in work again. I need to be careful.’
If he kept doing business outside working hours, it would be like his past life.
Every time that happened, Lee Hyun-woo would pull himself back.
The core of this life was work-life balance.
Always maintain balance.
