The scent of alcohol wafted from Oh Min-woo’s body, perhaps from drinking too much the previous night.
“What time?”
“Oh, I wanted to ask you something.”
“What is it?”
It meant to ask right here and now.
He was always impulsive and hated anything bothersome, so moving elsewhere was out of the question.
“You said last time that you could avoid the IP address, right?”
“Of course. With the spread of the internet, we are more likely to be monitored. I really hate the idea of being watched by government agencies or the CIA.”
He was also a conspiracy theorist.
So, during conversations, I often had to hide my incredulous looks.
Today was no different; I nodded along as I responded to him.
“Yeah, me too. So, can you teach me that technique? The IP address evasion technique?”
“Huh? Really?”
“Yeah, our company wants to use that technology.”
“You need that at your company?”
This time, his voice carried a tone of genuine interest.
‘Finally, I got his attention.’
Oh Min-woo, as Lee Jung-woo knew him, was someone who wanted to disrupt the existing order.
He disliked the establishment and sought something new.
Because of this, he had some degree of fondness for the fresh concept of Jungle, but that didn’t mean he dreamed of joining them someday.
He preferred working independently in a space without any interference.
So, Lee Jung-woo emphasized the words ‘individual’ and ‘freedom’ as he spoke.
“Yeah, it’s to protect personal information as much as possible. My hyung is a bit of a libertarian.”
As he said this, Lee Jung-woo tried to gauge Min-woo’s reaction, especially to the fact that Lee Hyun-woo was a libertarian.
Unfortunately, Min-woo had tiny needle-like eyes, so his pupils were hardly visible.
Thankfully, after a few seconds of thought, Min-woo nodded.
“Well, I can give it a try. When do you need it by?”
“The sooner, the better. Oh, I’ll compensate you.”
“No need for that. I’ve been wanting to try it out someday anyway.”
“Still…”
“I’d rather not do it if you pay me. I don’t like that kind of transaction between friends.”
“Really?”
“But I do have one request.”
“What is it?”
“Come with me to a nightclub sometime.”
“What?”
He really was unpredictable.
I stared at him blankly, unsure how to interpret the request, but he explained right away.
“Damn, my booking success rate is too low. The girls at nightclubs judge men by their looks.”
“And what about you? Don’t you judge women by their looks?”
“Me? Of course, I do. I’m a regular, so I judge by looks too.”
“Ha…”
“Anyway, you’re good-looking. You’re popular with the ladies. So, come with me.”
He definitely had a unique way of thinking.
‘Is it impossible for ordinary people to understand a genius?’
Even professors would often shake their heads at him.
Bringing him into the company might be helpful, but he could also disrupt the atmosphere and leave.
‘Well, whatever. Hyung will handle it.’
Lately, Lee Jung-woo had faith in his brother.
He believed his brother could solve any problem that arose from Min-woo.
“Alright, let’s go together sometime. But you need to finish what I asked for before that. And to finish it, you’ll need to come to our company’s lab.”
“Well, that’s not a big deal. Let’s go today.”
“What? Really?”
“We need to finish quickly so we can go to the nightclub. Finally, I can improve my booking success rate.”
Has a ghost who failed at booking possessed him?
I clicked my tongue inwardly but was secretly pleased.
‘Hyung will be happy.’
After a while, Lee Jung-woo headed to the company with Oh Min-woo.
Before entering the lab, he met with his brother.
Since he had informed him beforehand, Lee Hyun-woo was waiting with a smile.
Lee Jung-woo introduced the two, and Hyun-woo extended his hand with a bright face.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Lee Hyun-woo, CEO of Jungle.”
“Hello.”
“I heard you like nightclubs?”
“Huh? Jung-woo told you?”
“Yes.”
Smiling, Hyun-woo nodded and made a proposal.
“Then, why don’t we go together sometime?”
“What? Do you like nightclubs too?”
“I’m trying to, but I don’t know much about it, so I want to learn from you.”
“Wow, you’re really open-minded.”
“But I don’t easily break the rules I’ve set.”
“I heard on the way here that your company policy is to adhere to working hours?”
“That’s not within the rules. It’s more about working hard when it’s time to work and relaxing when it’s time to relax. I don’t want people staying late just for the sake of it; I want them to finish quickly and go home.”
“I heard you can leave early sometimes…”
“If you finish your work, you should go.”
“Wow, it’s a dream job.”
“But I don’t think it suits you right now.”
“What?”
“I’ve heard about you. You’re very skilled and could finish work quickly.”
“Well… if I put in a bit of effort.”
“Then how would our employees feel seeing you? They’d feel a sense of relative deprivation. And I hate that.”
“……”
Min-woo blinked his needle-like eyes several times, looking at Hyun-woo.
On the way here, curiosity piqued by Jung-woo’s constant praise of his brother.
A prodigy who was among the top in the nation until high school, never missed a scholarship in college, and thrived after starting his own company.
‘And he has superior genes.’
Seeing Hyun-woo, he realized that Jung-woo’s good looks ran in the family.
He liked the orange-dyed hair too.
Despite being in the heavy position of a company CEO, he created an approachable gap with his light hair color.
Moreover, he ran the company differently from other firms.
He had heard a lot about this unique style before meeting Hyun-woo, which added to his expectations.
But to be told that he didn’t fit in with the company right away was infuriating.
“You’re saying that without even experiencing it?”
“I guess I made a mistake there. I’m sorry.”
“Well… no need to apologize right away…”
“I tend to admit my mistakes quickly. Anyway, I’ll keep my judgment to myself after seeing how things go for a while.”
Min-woo thought that the higher the position, the harder it was to admit mistakes, especially among the ‘old-school’ university professors.
Meeting someone like Hyun-woo was refreshing.
Furthermore,
“By experiencing it, I don’t just mean within the company. Like I mentioned briefly earlier, I want to enjoy nightclubs too, so let’s go together sometime. I’ll get to know you more there.”
He kept throwing out tempting bait.
Having a high IQ doesn’t mean high emotional control.
Many geniuses fail to control their emotions.
Though it didn’t seem like it, Min-woo was also emotionally sensitive.
He wasn’t good at controlling his emotions.
Even now, he thought he shouldn’t, but he was starting to be drawn to Hyun-woo’s charm.
So he replied,
“I’ll have to finish the work quickly if I want to go to the nightclub with you.”
Then he turned around and headed to the lab.
Hyun-woo saw that his shoulders were filled with determination.
As absurd as it was, he was determined to finish the work and go to the nightclub.
‘He really is an interesting guy.’
An intriguing smile began to form on Hyun-woo’s lips.
Three more days passed.
“I’m all done.”
As Hyun-woo came back from lunch, Min-woo, who was waiting for him, said confidently.
“Huh? Didn’t you go to school today either?”
“Well, skipping a few classes is part of the campus romance, isn’t it?”
“I heard you’re quite lax with your grade management, but it’s worse than I thought.”
“But I make up for it by doing well on exams. So, I haven’t gotten an F yet.”
“So, you’re saying you’re done?”
“Probably.”
“Probably…? I guess it’s impossible to completely prevent IP tracing. Should I just consider it as buying some time?”
Min-woo’s eyes sparkled at Hyun-woo’s words.
Even so, no one noticed because of his needle-like eyes.
‘This hyung pretends not to know but understands everything.’
That was Min-woo’s assessment of Hyun-woo.
In a word, he was a perfectionist, and such people can be exhausting.
Yet, it was surprising how he let things slide sometimes.
Moreover,
“So, can we go to the nightclub tonight?”
Judging by the excitement in his voice, it seemed he genuinely wanted to enjoy the nightlife.
It felt like multiple identities were mixed together.
The perfectionist, the model student, the prodigy, the pioneer in the IT industry, the free spirit, and so on.
‘I’m really curious about what else will come out in the future.’
Working here for three days had piqued his curiosity.
What was Hyun-woo’s true character?
He needed to get closer to find out.
So, he took a nap at home and then headed to the promised nightclub.
They had agreed to meet at Julian Nightclub, the hottest spot in Gangnam and arguably the country.
As he approached, he spotted Hyun-woo from a distance.
Even from afar, his orange hair stood out.
“You’re here?”
Had he been waiting for this day?
Hyun-woo’s voice carried a hint of excitement.
Min-woo’s voice, on the other hand, sounded calm.
“You’re here?”
“Yeah, looking forward to tonight.”
“Looking forward…? Hyung, I should be the one looking forward to tonight.”
“What do you mean?”
“Booking, booking! I can’t do that with my face.”
“What’s wrong with your face? You’re full of charm. Plus, you’re tall.”
“But I’m skinny. Girls really don’t like skinny guys, especially tall skinny ones. And I have small eyes.”
“But you’re fun to talk to. From what I know, girls like guys who are fun.”
“That’s… my biggest flaw is that I can’t talk well in front of girls.”
“That’s a bit unexpected.”
“Yes, so like I said…”
Min-woo paused and bowed his head.
“Please take care of me.”
“Then let’s complement each other’s weaknesses and go. Let’s go!”
Watching Hyun-woo, who seemed overly enthusiastic, Min-woo felt uneasy.
‘No, but hyung has the looks. And he speaks so well without sounding cheap; he’ll do well here.’
Surprisingly, nightclub girls liked intellectual guys.
Although the orange-dyed hair was a bit of a concern, it also had the advantage of catching the eye.
If he could draw attention with this advantage, succeed in booking, and get the girls to sit at their table, Hyun-woo’s calm demeanor would make the perfect approach.
‘I have a plan.’
At this moment, Min-woo’s eyes reflected a determination to succeed in booking tonight.
