In reality, what Lee Hyun-woo had absurdly expedited was not Kim Ah-young’s hand-written letter, but the cloud.
A few days later, the data storage technology was becoming a reality.
How did he know this? Because Oh Min-woo was talking about it everywhere.
“Boss, I think you can tell Kim Ah-young noona about it now. The data storage technology is almost complete, so just ask her to wait a little.”
“You’re not pulling all-nighters to do this, are you?”
“Why would I pull all-nighters when I’m busy going to nightclubs?”
“You don’t go to nightclubs these days.”
“I’m going secretly. Anyway, you can inform her.”
To be honest, if the work wasn’t done at the office, there was no way to find out.
So, even though Oh Min-woo was clearly lying, there was nothing Lee Hyun-woo could say.
‘By the way, this guy is calling me boss now.’
Does this mean he’s definitely adhering to the company rules?
In other words, it could be interpreted that he now considers this job not as a part-time gig but as a profession.
Although he has a strong personality, Lee Hyun-woo thought it would be nice if he stayed around for a while because he was gradually liking him.
Moreover, there were positive effects too.
“Data storage technology? Min-woo was researching that?”
Woo Sang-won asked after hearing about it from Oh Min-woo, who appeared like a goblin just as he was about to report his work.
It was a question posed after confirming that Oh Min-woo had already left.
Lee Hyun-woo nodded without denying it.
“Yes, that’s right. He’s doing that. And I’m preparing a business through data storage technology.”
How revolutionary must it be for the boss to already link it to a business?
A deep curiosity appeared in Woo Sang-won’s eyes.
“It must be quite differentiated from existing data storage technologies.”
“I don’t know the details yet. But he says it can definitely save server costs, so I’m just keeping an eye on it.”
“Really? Are you saying the boss is planning a business based on an uncertain idea?”
“Something just came to me suddenly. If it becomes certain, then I’ll push it properly.”
“I feel like I’m falling a step behind.”
In fact, Woo Sang-won was quite tense about Oh Min-woo’s sudden display of genius.
Although he seemed to be doing things leisurely, he quickly and innovatively accomplished something, possibly due to a different thought process from others.
Would it be the same this time?
‘I still have no clue what I should do.’
When Woo Sang-won returned to the lab and couldn’t hide his dark expression, Jang Yoo-chul asked him.
“Does the boss not like you contacting the 4 major PC communications again?”
“Not like it? Of course, he told me to push ahead.”
In reality, he had gone to report on the email-related matters with the 4 major PC communications that had been blocked for a while.
Through an old colleague working there, Woo Sang-won heard that Manager Song Gil-ho, who had been the most vehemently opposed to the email business agreement, had left.
So, it seemed like a good time to push ahead.
“He’ll probably send Team Leader Han Se-jin or Team Leader Kang Dong-ho.”
“Then email communication with the 4 major PC communications will happen soon.”
“Both of them are excellent at pushing projects forward, and the other side can’t keep rejecting forever, so I think it will go well.”
“But why that expression?”
Woo Sang-won realized that he had failed to manage his expression and gave a bitter smile.
But since it was already revealed, he decided to open up.
“I mentioned it before. Our industry moves upwards really quickly from below.”
“You did. I know it was just for show.”
“No, it was true. I was shocked by what Min-woo said to the boss today.”
“Min-woo? What did he say?”
“He seems to be making revolutionary improvements in data storage technology. He doesn’t show it, but it looks like he’s been working on it overnight to some extent.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really. The boss is already thinking about commercializing that storage technology.”
“How does he plan to commercialize storage technology?”
“I don’t know that either. But has there ever been a project the boss pushed that didn’t become a reality?”
“There hasn’t been….”
Now, not only Woo Sang-won but also Jang Yoo-chul’s face turned pale.
It seemed that things were turning out exactly as he had expected.
He had always thought that among the four team leaders, Oh Min-woo would be the first to show his genius.
“This is going to be a mess.”
“Exactly. I still have no clue what I should do.”
“I have one idea, but hearing this makes me lose confidence.”
“What? Everyone had something except me.”
“It’s really nothing.”
“What is it? Tell me.”
“It’s actually about compressing and playing music files. It’s similar to Min-woo’s data storage technology but on a smaller scale.”
“Compressing and playing music files?”
“Yes. Simply put, playing them on a computer. Of course, you can do that now, but when converted to PCM, the file size is too large.”
By the way, PCM is a method of converting analog signals to digital signals.
“PCM is a completely uncompressed method, so it can’t be helped. But compressing music results in significant loss of original sound.”
“A little loss is inevitable. But I’ve been working on this for quite a while, and I’ve minimized the loss.”
“Wow, everyone had a hidden ace up their sleeve.”
“Please exclude me. Where would you even use this? How many people listen to music on a computer?”
“But its application range seems unlimited. I can’t think of anything right now, but… Oh, right. The boss would think of something immediately, wouldn’t he?”
“So, you mean I should tell the boss.”
“I think it’s better that way. Seeing how Min-woo got praised earlier, it looks like he’ll work even harder. The problem is me. Damn it, everyone has something, and I’m the only one with nothing.”
“Hey, you have Team Leader Lee Jung-woo.”
“Team Leader Lee is as much of a genius as Min-woo. He must be doing something in secret.”
“No way.”
“I bet I’m right. I’ll ask him when he comes later.”
“Do that. He has a morning class today, so he’ll be here early.”
When the two, who had targeted Lee Jung-woo, heard the story a little later, they were speechless.
They didn’t know it was the same idea as Oh Min-woo’s.
After blinking their eyes for a few seconds, Jang Yoo-chul asked.
“Is that okay?”
“What do you mean, okay? What is?”
“Is it okay for them to work together?”
“Working together? What are you talking about? They’re just doing the same thing separately. And I’m confident. Min-woo doesn’t have a team helping him yet.”
It seemed Lee Jung-woo judged that even a genius would have a hard time winning against a group effort.
The other two somewhat agreed.
Especially since Oh Min-woo didn’t hide what he was developing, the probability of collective intelligence winning over a single genius increased.
So, when Lee Jung-woo left, Jang Yoo-chul suggested to Woo Sang-won.
“Team Leader Woo, would you like to work with me?”
“What?”
“You said you hadn’t thought of anything yet. I think we could achieve better results if we team up.”
“I’m okay with it, but wouldn’t this be a loss for you? You’ve been researching this all along.”
“Instead, I can benefit from your experience. If we combine our team members, the work will proceed faster.”
“Okay. But shouldn’t we inform the boss?”
“I’ll tell him. I need to talk about the loss-compressed audio files anyway.”
Jang Yoo-chul stood up and left the lab to see Lee Hyun-woo.
Hearing that he went to the new building, he headed outside again.
After walking a bit, he spotted Lee Hyun-woo inspecting the interior.
“Boss.”
“Oh? Team Leader Jang, what brings you here?”
“I have something to tell you.”
“Sure, go ahead.”
Lee Hyun-woo, who was pleased to see that the interior construction was almost complete, smiled and looked at Jang Yoo-chul.
So, Jang Yoo-chul quickly got to the point.
“Actually, I came to tell you about something I’ve prepared.”
“Why is everyone in such a hurry? You can tell me after we move.”
“But the other team leaders have already mentioned their ideas. And I heard you’re already thinking about commercializing them, so I’m getting anxious too. I thought I might get some guidance if I told you.”
“What am I, a walking magic wand? You think I’ll find something profitable if you tell me an idea? Fine, what is it? Tell me.”
“A loss-compressed audio file program.”
“What?”
“This might be a bit difficult, but simply put, converting CD audio files….”
“I know, you mean compressing them to MP3 files, right?”
“MP3?”
“Uh?”
Lee Hyun-woo, who unconsciously mentioned a format that hadn’t been released yet, quickly corrected himself.
“MPEG has reached version 2, right? I just automatically said 3.”
“Oh, that could be. I actually based my research on that too. If this development is successful, we could call it MP3 as you said. No, we should call it that.”
“Do as you see fit. I underestimated my team leaders, didn’t I? You’re all developing amazing things.”
“Did I just propose a good idea?”
“Of course. This will revolutionize the music market. There will be side effects, but that’s unavoidable.”
The side effects naturally referred to illegal sharing.
However, Jang Yoo-chul, who hadn’t experienced the future, couldn’t understand what Lee Hyun-woo meant.
Anyway, he couldn’t fathom Lee Hyun-woo’s deep thoughts, and he had to mention the joint project, so he quickly spoke up.
“By the way, boss, I want to do this with Team Leader Woo.”
“What? Really?”
“Yes, I think the speed will be faster if two teams work together.”
“That makes sense. But are you sure about this?”
“Yes, as long as you approve.”
Seeing Jang Yoo-chul’s earnest expression, Lee Hyun-woo smiled.
“If you want to, there’s no reason for me to stop you.”
But in that case, do we need to reassign the teams?
Lee Hyun-woo quietly watched the ongoing interior work again.
Originally, he planned to bring Oh Min-woo, Lee Jung-woo, and Woo Sang-won’s teams here and keep Jang Yoo-chul’s team in the old place.
But since the joint project would eliminate distance constraints, restructuring was inevitable.
‘Then, I might as well turn that place into the sales team.’
It seemed more efficient to house all the development teams in this building and separate the sales team.
Having made up his mind, another idea hit him.
‘MP3 player!’
Indeed, innovative technology begets new inventions.
A smile spread across Lee Hyun-woo’s face.
