In the world of imagination, Lee Hyun-woo has already envisioned the future.
In fact, one of the many causes of the foreign exchange crisis was the withdrawal of foreign investors.
Of course, the more decisive cause was the financial sector and domestic companies recklessly taking on short-term debt. But what if, in this life, the maturity of that short-term debt could be extended?
What if foreign capital doesn’t pull out?
‘Would the bubble get bigger?’
It was still hard to conclude what was more right.
However, when he thought about it this far, he realized that Han Se-jin was lingering in front of him.
Lee Hyun-woo raised his eyebrows and asked him,
“Is it time to meet Kim Yoon-sun?”
“Yes, I think you should leave now.”
Seeing Han Se-jin quickly answer Lee Hyun-woo’s question, it seemed the appointment time had come.
It was time to meet the star.
“Let’s go, then.”
Lee Hyun-woo smiled and stood up from his seat.
As he walked out the door, Han Se-jin took out his notebook and kindly recited the destination.
“It’s a coffee shop inside the Yeouido 【KBC】 broadcasting station. It’s called 【Paradise】.”
“Oh really? That’s close.”
“Yes, I’ll get a taxi.”
“Please do.”
Yeouido wasn’t far from Yongsan.
In other words, it wouldn’t take long by taxi.
So they got into a taxi that Han Se-jin quickly hailed, but during the ride, the taxi driver kept looking at Lee Hyun-woo through the rearview mirror.
At first, he didn’t know why, but later he realized.
‘Well, dyeing my hair orange in this era…’
He thought it might be too ahead of the times, but he didn’t regret it at all.
Maybe because of the hair dye, he had just imagined a nearly impossible early solution to the foreign exchange crisis.
A successful businessman always had to be exceptionally creative.
Even the CEOs of major IT groups in the U.S. were initially ridiculed for their outrageous ideas.
‘Compared to them, I have many realistic alternatives.’
However, creating a bigger bubble to avoid the foreign exchange crisis wasn’t a fundamental solution, so he had to research more meticulously.
If he took his time to revise and refine this, it would be really interesting.
‘Is this the charm of returning?’
A mischievous smile spread across Lee Hyun-woo’s face.
Then a sudden thought occurred to him.
‘Should I approach today’s star playfully?’
Lee Hyun-woo met Kim Yoon-sun at the appointed place.
He greeted her with a childlike smile.
“Hello.”
“Oh, yes… Nice to meet you…”
At that moment, Lee Hyun-woo noticed Kim Yoon-sun’s pupils glancing at his hair.
‘She saw my dazzling hair color.’
He confirmed her fierce reaction but sat down with a nonchalant smile.
At the same time, he looked directly at Kim Yoon-sun with slightly lowered eyes.
In fact, if she didn’t say anything, Kim Yoon-sun had a face that looked very haughty.
Lee Hyun-woo knew the hidden side of her well.
‘Airhead.’
This naive image wasn’t known in Korea yet, and it would take some time for the public to understand her true nature and feel more familiar with her.
But starting now, Lee Hyun-woo could slowly confirm Kim Yoon-sun’s airheadedness.
“Um… I heard your business is related to computers.”
“To be precise, it’s online shopping.”
“Online?”
“It means buying and selling goods in cyberspace based on internet communication.”
“Oh…”
“Do you understand?”
“Honestly… not really.”
“Okay…”
“I’m a computer illiterate. I’m sorry.”
Kim Yoon-sun genuinely looked clueless.
Seeing that, a mischievous smile spread on Lee Hyun-woo’s lips.
‘She’s exactly like her image on TV.’
Of course, this referred to Kim Yoon-sun’s image on the show “Burn Your Youth!” that he had seen much later.
Even though he was a workaholic, he watched that show occasionally to relax after his divorce.
He noticed something while watching Kim Yoon-sun’s charm on that variety show.
If Kim Yoon-sun had revealed herself earlier, she wouldn’t have gone through a slump.
It would be awkward, but he had to bring it out.
“You can take your time learning computers.”
“Yes…”
“Oh, did you see the contract?”
At the question, Kim Yoon-sun immediately looked at the manager sitting next to her.
In the meantime, Lee Hyun-woo started asking questions rapidly.
“What do you think about being our company’s model?”
“Well…”
“Have you thought about it?”
“Not yet…”
At this point, Lee Hyun-woo stopped questioning and looked carefully at Kim Yoon-sun.
Her eyes were shaking.
She was definitely afraid after being scammed into contracts several times.
Should he be relieved?
At that moment, the manager intervened.
He seemed familiar with 【Jungle Soft】 as he asked Lee Hyun-woo,
“Do we need to discuss the contract terms directly with the CEO?”
“No, that’s something for the working-level staff to handle.”
“Oh, really?”
“I trust Team Leader Han Se-jin 100%, and it seems your side trusts Kim Yoon-sun, so they can discuss it.”
“……”
The manager closed his mouth as if he had nothing more to say.
His face seemed to question why the CEO had come out personally, so Lee Hyun-woo ran his hand through his orange hair and answered,
“First of all, I’m here to kindly explain online shopping to help Kim Yoon-sun understand computers.”
Kim Yoon-sun’s manager, Hyun Chang-soo, opened his closed mouth in surprise.
Meanwhile, Kim Yoon-sun looked at Lee Hyun-woo with her naive eyes.
Her pupils reflected the light of discovering a character she had never seen before.
Seeing these two, Lee Hyun-woo continued talking nonchalantly.
“Wouldn’t it be better than having a model who doesn’t know anything about computers and online shopping? Moreover, as a representative of the related industry, I can explain it well.”
“……”
“……”
“Do you dislike the idea?”
“Oh… No…”
Kim Yoon-sun stammered her answer.
Honestly, she didn’t want to, but she seemed to think she needed to learn about computers.
“Good. And it’s a good choice. The times are changing. The industry is shifting to a computer and internet-based foundation. Naturally, being our company’s model will be a great help to you.”
“Yes…”
“Shall we move then?”
“Move? Where to?”
“The best place would be our company. It’s a quick taxi ride.”
“Taxi…”
“Of course, it might be inconvenient to take a taxi. But if I teach you at our company, you won’t have to worry about other people’s eyes.”
Kim Yoon-sun showed a momentarily embarrassed expression and looked at her manager, Hyun Chang-soo.
It was a repeated action from earlier.
But there was no one else to rely on here.
This was the least resistance Kim Yoon-sun could muster, driven into the unknown, fearful, and difficult world.
Hyun Chang-soo also looked troubled.
After a few silent seconds, he asked Lee Hyun-woo,
“Don’t you have a car?”
Lee Hyun-woo immediately replied as if it were obvious,
“I told you, it’s a quick taxi ride.”
Hyun Chang-soo frowned.
What would others think?
Then a thought popped into Hyun Chang-soo’s head.
‘Right. The media has been paying attention to this person recently.’
Hyun Chang-soo had seen several articles that Lee Hyun-woo himself might have missed.
Therefore, he knew that Lee Hyun-woo was considered a top bachelor candidate.
‘A scandal would actually benefit Yoon-sun.’
Hyun Chang-soo nodded his head.
Scandals were a part of a celebrity’s fate.
But what could a downward-trending Kim Yoon-sun do with a scandal?
Now, even if she wanted to start one, there was no partner or interest.
Moreover, since her aunt had strictly maintained a mysterious image since her debut, there had never been a proper scandal.
But if it was with the CEO of 【Jungle Soft】, which was being covered in the news as a pioneer of the information revolution, it would be a ‘thank you’ for Kim Yoon-sun, wouldn’t it?
‘Just recently, actress Kim Hee-ra married Lee Chan-shin, the CEO of 【Hangul Soft】.’
He didn’t expect that much, but he thought it would be good for Kim Yoon-sun if it made the news.
So Hyun Chang-soo quickly changed his attitude.
“Alright, I’ll leave it to you.”
“O…oppa?”
“It’s okay. Just look at his face; you can tell he’s kind and good-hearted. And I agree with the CEO. The times are changing. The computer-related industry will thrive in the future, so taking the first step now is a good sign. You should learn about computers too.”
Since she didn’t expect Hyun Chang-soo to make such a decision, Kim Yoon-sun’s pupils momentarily froze.
But what could she do?
“Okay.”
She nodded and had no choice but to comply.
Listening to their conversation, Lee Hyun-woo put on a ‘I won’t bite’ expression and said to Kim Yoon-sun,
“I’ll make sure you get there safely and bring you back safely.”
“Oh, there’s no need to come back here. I’ll discuss the contract terms with Team Leader Han here and then head to the company.”
“Understood.”
Why refuse when someone is going out of their way to help?
Lee Hyun-woo stood up.
Then he motioned with his eyes to Kim Yoon-sun to get up too.
Let’s go.
As if her wrist were caught by his gaze, Kim Yoon-sun had no choice but to get up, having resigned herself.
A little later, even in front of the taxi they hailed in front of the Yeouido 【KBC】 Hall, she was in a mental fog.
“Here, please get in first.”
“Yes…”
She obediently answered and got in.
Lee Hyun-woo, being polite, seated Kim Yoon-sun in the back and sat in the front.
On the way, the taxi driver recognized Kim Yoon-sun and kept looking at her through the rearview mirror.
‘The previous driver only looked at my hair, but it’s convenient traveling with a celebrity.’
Lee Hyun-woo added another new experience to his life and felt good all the way.
Even when they arrived at the company and he taught Kim Yoon-sun how to use the computer with a fan’s heart, he felt the same.
“Computers have become really easy to use compared to before. You can just use this keyboard with the hunt-and-peck method, and the important thing is the mouse. You just need to click like this.”
“Yes…”
“Would you like to try?”
“Me?”
Seeing Kim Yoon-sun’s surprised rabbit eyes, Lee Hyun-woo laughed.
The other employees around them also chuckled.
They were initially surprised when the CEO brought Kim Yoon-sun, but seeing him teach her how to use the computer made them curious.
“Other things might be difficult, so try this. The easiest and most fun way to learn computers is best.”
With those words, Lee Hyun-woo opened ‘Minesweeper.’
After all, what better medium is there to get familiar with computers than a simple game?
As expected, Kim Yoon-sun quickly got hooked on Minesweeper once Lee Hyun-woo explained it a few times.
“Oh? This is fun.”
“Right? I told you it was fun. It’s the best game to pass the time when you’re bored at home.”
“Yes, it seems so.”
“How about you get a computer at home?”
“Should I?”
“Yes, I’ll help you get one at cost.”
“Really? How much would that be?”
“Around 600,000 won.”
“Oh…”
Kim Yoon-sun was torn between wanting to buy it and wanting to save money.
In fact, she didn’t know it, but she had significant debt.
Unfortunately, her aunt had started various things in her name, and when they failed, she was left to repay the money.
Recently, she had even been momentarily tempted by an offer to pose nude.
‘What am I thinking…’
To think her stream of consciousness would reach here over buying a computer, it was clear her debt was no small amount.
Then,
“Now that I think about it, if you sign a contract with us, I could give you a computer as a bonus.”
Lee Hyun-woo’s gentle voice touched her ears.
