“You’re giving a computer as a bonus?”
Kim Yoon-sun had a habit of blinking her eyes when she was surprised.
After blinking a few times, she couldn’t help but ask again with a blank expression.
“Excuse me? A bonus? A computer?”
“That’s right.”
“But you just said it’s expensive.”
“I know the CEO of a computer manufacturing company. I’ll try to get a discount.”
“……”
Blinking a few more times, Kim Yoon-sun thought to herself.
Why is this man being so nice to me?
Unaware of Lee Hyun-woo’s fan crush, she wondered if it was driven by personal feelings.
‘No way, why would anyone be interested in a washed-up singer like me?’
At that moment, someone interrupted her thoughts.
It was Kim Yoon-sun’s manager, Hyun Chang-soo.
Did the negotiation end sooner than expected?
“Yoon-sun, your deal went through.”
“Really?”
“Yes, you are now the model for Jungle Soft. Thank you so much for accepting our proposal, CEO. Thank you, everyone.”
Hyun Chang-soo bowed deeply to show his gratitude to Lee Hyun-woo and the staff.
Kim Yoon-sun blinked even faster than before.
She was curious. What were the terms?
The reason why Hyun Chang-soo was so polite must be because Jungle Soft offered excellent terms…
“Oppa, wait a minute.”
Since they couldn’t talk here, they went outside.
Then, lowering her voice, she asked,
“Why are you so happy?”
“It’s 10 million won. For six months.”
“What?”
Kim Yoon-sun’s eyes widened.
The contract terms that reached her eardrums pumped blood straight to her heart.
A male actor who recently rose to fame as a bodyguard in “Hourglass” signed a contract for 30 million won.
In this industry, prices are coldly calculated. Since it wasn’t a TV medium, she didn’t expect much.
This was why Hyun Chang-soo could boast to Kim Yoon-sun.
“10 million won is beyond our expectations. You know that, right?”
“I know…”
“Of course, it’s not just a one-time deal but a six-month contract as the model for Jungle’s website. Isn’t that great?”
Kim Yoon-sun nodded.
Indeed, for someone in urgent need of money like Kim Yoon-sun, the terms were not bad at all.
“Let’s go back in. If we stay out too long, they might think you’re not happy with the terms.”
“Really? Got it. Let’s go back quickly.”
Unlike Kim Yoon-sun and Hyun Chang-soo, Lee Hyun-woo thought 10 million won was a reasonable contract.
‘People still don’t know about the explosive growth of portal sites.’
Lee Hyun-woo predicted that Jungle, like the comet-like appearance of Yahoo in the United States, would grow into a colossal website throughout South Korea and even all of Asia.
Therefore, considering their expansion into Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, and China, choosing Kim Yoon-sun, the first player of the Korean Wave, as their model was an inevitable decision.
So, as soon as the two re-entered, Lee Hyun-woo mentioned the promise he had made earlier.
“I’ll contact your manager directly about the computer I mentioned earlier.”
“Then I’ll come with the manager. I can’t do anything without my manager.”
When Kim Yoon-sun insisted on coming along, Lee Hyun-woo smiled.
How could he not know that celebrities and their managers move together?
However, in Kim Yoon-sun’s case, she really seemed unable to do anything without her manager.
‘Anyway, I’ll have to ask the CEO of One Computer for another favor.’
Thinking of this, Lee Hyun-woo stopped by One Computer on his way home.
The production factory of One Computer, now much larger than when he first saw it, utilized conveyor belts.
Watching the parts move on them, a smile naturally spread across Lee Hyun-woo’s face.
As he was looking around, the CEO of the place, Kim Yoon-soo, approached him.
“What brings you here? You should’ve called me if you came.”
“I thought you were busy, so I just waited.”
“You should’ve called. What if I wasn’t here?”
Is it true that positions make people?
Kim Yoon-soo’s voice had more authority now.
“Then I could just come back tomorrow. It’s not an official request anyway.”
“If it’s not official?”
“It’s a personal favor.”
“What is it?”
Kim Yoon-soo asked, looking like he would grant any request.
“Could you make a computer with the lowest specifications possible? Really the cheapest one.”
“Why suddenly a cheap computer?”
“I have someone to give it to as a gift.”
“A gift? Then you should give something decent.”
“Right now, they probably can only play Minesweeper. Oh, but please include a modem. I need to teach them how to use the internet.”
“What are you talking about? Are we having a conversation? Who are you giving it to?”
Since such requests were rare, Kim Yoon-soo continued to pry.
Lee Hyun-woo answered as if playing a game of Twenty Questions.
“A female singer with a name almost identical to yours.”
“Kim Yoon-sun?”
“You got it in one.”
“There’s only that singer with a name similar to mine. But why all of a sudden? Are you dating her?”
“No way. We signed an advertisement model contract with her, but she’s a computer illiterate, so I offered to give her one as a gift to learn.”
“An advertisement?”
“Oh, we’ve been out of touch for a while. You don’t know we’re moving into portal sites.”
Lee Hyun-woo briefly summarized the recent developments at Jungle Soft for Kim Yoon-soo.
The plan to buy and sell cosmetics directly, the hotel workshop for that purpose, the decision to separate the portal site, and the contract with Kim Yoon-sun as the advertising model during the activation phase.
After hearing all this, Kim Yoon-soo’s eyes widened.
“Advertising on a portal site?”
“Yes, we already have two advertisers. Aejeong Cosmetics and Seorabeol Hotel.”
“Why didn’t you tell me? I’m interested in advertising these days.”
“Really?”
“Of course. Our company doesn’t just sell a single product anymore.”
In fact, One Computer now manufactures more than one type of computer.
While they still focus on price competitiveness and don’t produce high-spec computers, they have expanded their range due to consumer choice.
“I decided we need to increase our brand recognition. My research manager, factory manager, and team leaders all agree with me. But TV ads are a bit too much, so we were considering newspaper ads…”
“We’re cheaper than newspapers.”
“How much? The two companies I mentioned pay 3.5 million won per month. I’m not supposed to disclose this, but I’ll tell you specially.”
“3.5 million? That’s not exactly cheap.”
“The results will be worth it.”
“I know. I hear from my employees that the user base is growing rapidly. They say more people use it than PC communication these days.”
“Not quite, but it’s probably similar.”
“You’re being modest. I hear a lot from my staff.”
“Fine, let’s say that’s true.”
“Then it’s doing well.”
“Yes, but?”
“Can you give me a small discount?”
Lee Hyun-woo couldn’t help but laugh at this unfamiliar question.
But he was satisfied.
‘This guy is haggling?’
It was something he wouldn’t have said in the past.
It wasn’t because the company was struggling; maybe Kim Yoon-soo was feeling a bit more responsible.
Seeing it as a positive change, Lee Hyun-woo nodded.
“How about 3 million? But it’s a month-to-month contract. You need to know that.”
“Fine, got it.”
Kim Yoon-soo’s face brightened at the thought of getting cheaper advertising.
At the same time, he made another request.
“And introduce me to that singer. We need a model to stand out too.”
Lee Hyun-woo’s eyes widened.
And he thought of Kim Yoon-sun, whom he had just parted with.
‘From portal site ads to computer company ads? If this goes well, Kim Yoon-sun could become an icon of the IT era.’
Hoping as a fan that Kim Yoon-sun would succeed, Lee Hyun-woo smiled and said,
“The model fee might be a bit high. Not as much as a TV ad model, though.”
“Fine, fine. Just make it look great. Got it?”
From the conversation with Kim Yoon-soo, it was clear that his business was doing well.
‘Considering the number of computers being sold these days, it’s incomparable to the past.’
The figures in the news were quite surprising.
The number of computers sold in the first half of this year has already exceeded a million units, surpassing last year’s total sales.
Indeed, Lee Hyun-woo remembered that computer sales in 1996 rose sharply.
But not to this extent.
At this rate, sales could be more than double last year’s.
When a product sells well, it changes the industrial landscape.
And if you ride that wave well, you can properly establish the foundation of a company.
Perhaps One Computer could become the Korean version of Dell’s Computer, he thought.
Anyway, the next day, Kim Yoon-soo called, saying that the ultra-low-spec computer for Kim Yoon-sun was ready.
Upon receiving the news, Lee Hyun-woo contacted Hyun Chang-soo, Kim Yoon-sun’s manager, and the following week, the two visited Jungle Soft.
There, Lee Hyun-woo could convey some good news to them.
“A computer company wants Kim Yoon-sun to be their model. Are you interested? This one won’t be on TV either but on the internet, specifically as a banner ad on our Jungle website.”
“……!”
“……!”
If exclamations had colors, they’d be blue with anticipation now.
“Did the CEO introduce us?”
“When I mentioned using Kim Yoon-sun as a model, the CEO showed interest.”
“So you introduced us. Thank you so much.”
“Thank you, CEO.”
Kim Yoon-sun, following Hyun Chang-soo, expressed her gratitude, looking flustered.
Lee Hyun-woo quickly waved his hands.
He felt he couldn’t accept gratitude since he hadn’t actively pushed for it.
“No, the CEO showed interest, not me. And it’s not confirmed yet.”
“Still, thank you.”
“Thank you so much, CEO.”
Lee Hyun-woo gave a wry smile at the continuing expressions of gratitude.
If no one had entered the room, the atmosphere might have become awkward, but then his younger brother, Lee Jung-woo, who only had morning classes, walked in.
And as soon as he entered, without noticing Kim Yoon-sun, he raised his voice.
“Hyung! No, CEO! Look at this!”
True to his impulsive nature, he handed over a newspaper without checking his surroundings.
With no choice, Lee Hyun-woo fixed his gaze on the newspaper.
The headline on the front page caught his eye.
“Kim Yoon-sun, Pink Date with Jungle Soft’s Lee Hyun-woo?”
Whoever took the picture got a great shot of the two getting out of a taxi.
