After parting ways with Woo Sang-won and returning home, Lee Hyun-woo turned on his computer and connected to the internet.
Then he typed the URL of the portal site he was targeting into the browser’s address bar.
It was none other than 【Yaho】.
‘I need to surpass this.’
Fortunately, the initial momentum was very good.
At first, he didn’t mention it was a portal site to avoid complicating the developers’ minds, but as they accomplished tasks step by step, the platform was now within sight.
Soon, it would be the platform that would dominate the market.
‘Things really picked up after Woo Sang-won joined.’
He had brought three developers who were initially working on the portal site with a focus on the search engine, making it feel like more than half of the work was already done.
Luck was also on their side.
They had acquired two banner advertisers: 【Aejeong Cosmetics】 and 【Seorabeol Hotel】.
‘How did 【Seorabeol Hotel】 find out about us?’
This was a mystery, but Lee Hyun-woo suspected Choi Seon-hwa from 【Aejeong Cosmetics】.
So, the next day.
As soon as Lee Hyun-woo arrived at work, he contacted Choi Seon-hwa from 【Aejeong Cosmetics】.
(Hello?)
“Hello?”
(Who is this?)
“This is Lee Hyun-woo, CEO of 【Jungle Soft】. Do you remember me?”
(Oh?)
“I heard the news that the advertisement was confirmed, so I wanted to thank you.”
(Yes, I thought the advertisement wouldn’t be bad. But you’re not going to settle with just this, right?)
“Excuse me?”
(We agreed to have a meal together last time, remember?)
Although it wasn’t a promise, reflecting on the conversation, it was understandable that Choi Seon-hwa might have misunderstood.
After declining her dinner invitation, he had said he would contact her later when he had time.
‘She even introduced us, so I shouldn’t neglect her.’
Feeling good, Lee Hyun-woo made a suggestion to her.
“Then how about lunch today?”
(Sure. I’ll come over there.)
“You’re coming here?”
(I’ve been curious about what 【Jungle Soft】 is like.)
He felt that she was someone who acted on her impulses.
‘Well, I can offer such benefits to our first advertiser.’
Lee Hyun-woo immediately agreed.
“Then I’ll give you the address.”
(No need. I’ll find my way there. It’s on the business card we exchanged last time, after all.)
“That’s true.”
(I’ll head out now, so see you later.)
What is with this woman?
Isn’t she busy with work?
Or maybe she has high expectations for this banner advertisement.
Thinking this, he called Jang Yoo-chul for confirmation.
“The issue isn’t with the banner advertisement design. We need to separate shopping from the portal for it to make an impact, but I don’t think we’re at the stage to show it yet.”
He implied that more time was needed.
Lee Hyun-woo nodded leisurely and then, as if he had an idea, spoke up.
“Open the 【Yaho】 site for a moment.”
“【Yaho】? Oh, sure.”
Following Lee Hyun-woo’s instructions, Jang Yoo-chul quickly displayed 【Yaho】’s homepage.
Recently, 【Daehan Communications】 started providing ISDN services, making the speed noticeably faster than before.
“Can you capture that and put the designed 【Aejeong Cosmetics】 banner on it?”
“Yes, I’ll try.”
Since the advertiser was visiting, he wanted to show how things would progress.
However, it seemed Choi Seon-hwa hadn’t expected it when she arrived a little later.
She asked in a surprised voice.
“You mean the banner design is already complete?”
“Just the design. It will take more time as it is tied to the website overhaul.”
“I didn’t expect it either. Can I see the banner?”
Listening to their conversation, Jang Yoo-chul quickly displayed the edited screen.
The surprising thing was that Choi Seon-hwa knew about 【Yaho】.
“But the background of this banner is 【Yaho】.”
“Yes, that’s right. You know about it?”
“I studied in the U.S. and recently returned. I took an interest because of the buzz around 【Yaho】’s stock listing.”
So, she must have decided on the banner advertisement without much hesitation.
A little later, outside the office, Choi Seon-hwa spoke again.
“Anyway, it’s an honor. We are the first company to place a banner advertisement with 【Jungle】.”
“We are the ones who should be thankful.”
“Since we are the first, will you take good care of us?”
“Of course.”
The more Lee Hyun-woo dealt with Choi Seon-hwa, the more he could understand her character.
A straightforward and honest personality.
So, was that why she followed up with the next question?
“By the way, have you not heard from 【Seorabeol Hotel】?”
“What? How did you know that?”
“Well, I happened to mention the banner advertisement to Ah-young last time.”
“Ah….”
Now that the mystery was solved, a soft exclamation escaped Lee Hyun-woo’s lips.
Simultaneously, another mystery popped into his mind.
‘Then why did Kim Ah-young pretend not to know yesterday?’
Of course, there was no time to think deeply.
Choi Seon-hwa continued to fire off questions rapidly.
“When are we having lunch?”
Her questions jumped all over the place.
From talking about the portal site, to Kim Ah-young, and now back to lunch.
She was such a unique character that Lee Hyun-woo felt he needed to stay grounded.
Otherwise, she could easily shake 【Jungle】 from her position as an advertiser.
So Lee Hyun-woo deliberately drew a line.
“One more hour.”
“Making me wait again today, huh.”
“Are you hungry?”
“Can we do it now? After all, I was the first to place a banner advertisement and introduced you to others.”
“If you insist, we can.”
“Your attitude is definitely different from last time. It makes me want to advertise more.”
“I must be a materialistic person. In that sense, I look forward to more introductions from you.”
Choi Seon-hwa laughed at his brazen but honest request.
“No, I’ll wait.”
“Will you?”
“Then you’re treating me later, right?”
“I will. But since I haven’t made much money yet, is it okay if we eat nearby?”
“What is it?”
“Blood sausage soup?”
“…….”
“Then pork cutlet?”
“Let’s go with that. Blood sausage soup seems a bit much for our first meal.”
Lee Hyun-woo chuckled bitterly.
‘It’s not like we’re on a blind date, so why can’t we have blood sausage soup?’
Without showing his thoughts, Lee Hyun-woo returned to work.
And then, right on the dot for lunch, he stood up from his seat.
“Shall we go?”
“I thought I was going to die of hunger.”
Seeing Choi Seon-hwa touch her stomach as if she was really hungry, Lee Hyun-woo smiled.
“Food tastes better when you’re hungry.”
With these words, he took her to a nearby place that served pork cutlets, as he had mentioned earlier.
She must have said she was hungry several times on the way.
“Honestly, I wanted to treat you to something fancy, but those places take time…”
“Now that I’m here, I feel a bit guilty for making you introduce me.”
Lee Hyun-woo nodded.
Why don’t people wait here?
Of course, it’s because the taste isn’t great.
‘I do feel a bit sorry. Maybe I should give her some advice?’
【Aejeong Cosmetics】 wasn’t a big success in his past life, so maybe a word from Lee Hyun-woo, who had lived through the future, could help.
After ordering the pork cutlets, he subtly brought up the topic.
“Since you’ve entered the cosmetics business, you must have set big goals, right?”
“I do have an ambitious dream to surpass 【Taepyeong Cosmetics】, the top company in Korea.”
“In that case, how about targeting the ‘low-priced cosmetics’ market?”
“Low-priced cosmetics?”
“Yes, targeting younger and younger women.”
“Would that work? Korean women usually start wearing makeup in college.”
“It will change. Or how about thinking of yourself as pioneering that era?”
Lee Hyun-woo had delved deeply into cosmetics while working at 【Deokseong Trading】.
He had all the knowledge about the development history of cosmetics in Korea.
“Wouldn’t the person who leads with transparent makeup be able to do that?”
“Transparent makeup?”
“The makeup method you used today. After basic skincare with lotion and essence, you used makeup base and transparent powder, right? Or am I wrong?”
“Wow, how did you know… Do you know a lot about women?”
“Please don’t think of me as a playboy.”
“I was just asking if you have sisters?”
“No, I don’t.”
“Then, now that I hear you, it seems impossible to deny…”
In short, the implication was that knowing a lot about women meant being a playboy.
With an incredulous look, Lee Hyun-woo spoke seriously.
“I’m just trying to help earnestly. Is my advice unwelcome?”
“No. Please go on.”
“Whether I’m a playboy or not isn’t the issue.”
It seemed like a straightforward character needed a straightforward approach.
“Yes, I’ll listen. Please continue.”
“First, the makeup method you used today was started by a few Hollywood actresses, right?”
“I did try to follow it.”
“In our country, women learn makeup from there, so soon some celebrities will start using transparent makeup. It will naturally spread, and women’s interest will increase. But transparent makeup suits younger people better, doesn’t it?”
Transparent makeup doesn’t hide wrinkles, making it difficult for the middle-aged to try it easily.
In reality, transparent makeup led to a boom in low-priced cosmetics in Korea, and Lee Hyun-woo, who saw through this, wasn’t giving reckless advice.
“Wow, I didn’t know you were so knowledgeable about cosmetics.”
“I’m a jack of all trades.”
“Anyway, ‘low-priced cosmetics’… I’ll keep it in mind.”
Now the choice was up to Choi Seon-hwa.
However, it seemed likely she would take Lee Hyun-woo’s advice.
“Actually, while researching 【Jungle Soft】, I found that most of the products you dealt with had their prices lowered.”
“Really?”
“For example, the device recently termed as a budget computer experienced a price revolution.”
“Yes. Thanks to budget computers, information and communication devices are rapidly being installed in homes, and I’m very satisfied.”
“It’s the same with CDs. Nowadays, each record company is competing to collaborate with Jungle for new song releases.”
“You really did your research.”
“I’m not placing a banner advertisement for nothing. Even as a chaebol daughter, spending money recklessly leads to falling behind in competition.”
“Of course.”
“So, if you mention ‘low-priced cosmetics’ to me, wouldn’t it be worth the challenge? And…”
“……”
“If I start, that is, if I eventually launch low-priced cosmetics, it means I can widely distribute them through 【Jungle】, right?”
“Every deal should be a win-win.”
“Of course, I should offer appropriate compensation. That will be for later.”
“Yes, for later.”
Somehow, today’s lunch meeting turned into a business discussion.
It didn’t matter.
Both sides could envision a mutually satisfying future.
Especially, after returning to the company that day, Choi Seon-hwa immediately accepted Lee Hyun-woo’s advice and gave instructions.
“Alright, let’s get busier. Let’s conduct market research to see if low-priced cosmetics will work in our country.”
