Park Min-sook, unaware that Lee Hyun-woo had subtly raised Kim Ah-young’s pair rating, continued speaking.
“Last year, our net profit was just over 20 billion won. But to think that this small company is worth half of ours, I was shocked. I even thought it might soon surpass 【Seorabeol Hotel】’s annual net profit.”
“That won’t happen. The world doesn’t revolve around numbers alone. And initially, a blue ocean market surges up, but it starts to stagnate before it matures. Competitors are also emerging.”
“It seems like there’s still a long way to go before it matures. No matter how many online shopping sites and portal sites have sprung up since 【Jungle】, none of them compare to 【Jungle】.”
Kim Ah-young, whose resonant voice flowed towards Park Min-sook, who couldn’t refute the truth.
“I need to step up my game. I can’t be compared to CEO Lee, who built his business from scratch.”
“You’re doing well, Director. Especially, the handwritten letters you sent to the staff last time moved them so much. I learned a lot from that. Management is about moving people’s hearts, and you showed that yourself. Thanks to that, the atmosphere in the meeting room has been quite passionate lately. The quality of service has also improved.”
“Actually, it was CEO Lee who suggested it.”
“Pardon?”
“The handwritten letters. CEO Lee suggested that I try it. The truth is, I wanted to come here to learn his management techniques.”
“Oh, I didn’t know that.”
Park Min-sook thought she was here for both work and personal reasons.
‘I thought she came just to see him, but she’s also here to gain something.’
However, she changed the topic, pretending not to know.
“It’s only been less than a year since the company was founded, so I think we should keep watching. Oh, and Director Kim just contacted me asking to meet.”
“My oppa? He’s already back from Japan?”
“Yes, he arrived a little while ago and is on his way to the hotel.”
“But why does he want to see me?”
“I’m not sure about that.”
“Did you tell him I came here?”
“Yes… He kept asking, so I had no choice but to say you came for business.”
“Oh, you shouldn’t have told him.”
“But he seemed happier about it.”
“Really? For real?”
“Yes, he said it’s good.”
“What?”
Kim Ah-young tilted her head in confusion.
It seemed she would only understand after meeting her oppa, Kim Tae-hyun.
Shortly after, Kim Ah-young went to the hotel and found Kim Tae-hyun, who was already waiting.
She bombarded him with questions as soon as she saw him, his face slightly flushed.
“Did something urgent come to mind after your business trip to Japan? Why did you come to see me first? Don’t you need to see Father?”
“I wanted to ask you something first.”
“Ask me? What is it?”
As the questions continued, Kim Tae-hyun hesitated for a moment.
But only for a moment, as he immediately asked about her opinion.
“Jungle, that is, Lee Hyun-woo. Do you think he would accept if I offered to invest?”
“……?”
“Oh, I was too impatient and didn’t explain properly. Actually, during my trip to Japan, I heard something from Son Jung-yi in a private setting.”
“Son Jung-yi from 【Software Bank】?”
“Yes, that person.”
【Software Bank】 is a company that went public on the Japanese stock market about two years ago and showed a record-breaking IPO price.
At that time, Son Jung-yi instantly became a billionaire worth 200 billion yen, which translates to trillions in Korean won.
“This time, he left for the U.S. to invest in the portal site 【Yahoo】.”
“Really?”
“I heard he’s planning to invest tens of billions of won.”
“But what does that have to do with 【Jungle】?”
“What he said in private was that the next target might be Korea’s 【Jungle】.”
“Really?”
“Yes, he said if the U.S. has 【Yahoo】, then Korea has 【Jungle】. He predicted that these two portal sites would eventually dominate the Asian market. And you know how accurate Son Jung-yi’s predictions have been lately. How could I stay still after hearing that?”
“……!”
Kim Ah-young couldn’t help but be astonished by Kim Tae-hyun’s words.
But she quickly calmed down and spoke.
“How much are you planning to invest? Their annual profit exceeds 15 billion won, so a small amount won’t cut it.”
“What?”
This time, Kim Tae-hyun’s eyes widened in surprise.
Watching him, Kim Ah-young thought to herself.
‘If the monthly profit is 1 billion won, then it’s 12 billion won a year. But considering their growth rate, it’s a conservative estimate.’
The reason for rationalizing this way was to imply that they shouldn’t think of buying them out with a small sum.
So, she confidently spoke again.
“I investigated through Secretary Park. You can check it yourself.”
“It’s even more impressive than expected. No wonder Son Jung-yi mentioned the investment value of 【Jungle】.”
“It’s a bit late, though.”
“But if the annual profit is 15 billion won, what’s the revenue? Even if we assume an operating profit margin of 10%, that’s 150 billion won, right?”
“Blue ocean operating profit margins are estimated to be between a quarter to a third.”
“Then it’s between 50 billion to 70 billion won.”
“Probably?”
This also contained some exaggeration.
It was likely to hit 1 billion won in November this month.
Considering the company is less than a year old and the initial few months’ revenue would be minimal,
“This is just my calculation. It’s not precise, but I believe they will grow even more next year.”
“Alright. Let’s assume 60 billion won in revenue next year. Then the company’s value is three times that. Depending on the industry, the company’s value could be seen as three times the revenue.”
“I mentioned it’s a blue ocean market. It wouldn’t be unreasonable to value it at 200 billion won.”
“Wow, so a small amount of money can’t even get a foot in the door. Is it already too late?”
“How much do you think Son Jung-yi will invest?”
“I don’t know. But since he secured over 1 trillion won during the IPO two years ago….”
“At least 10 billion won, then.”
“10 billion won… Damn, it’s not easy for me to come up with that amount.”
“That’s secondary. Who knows if 【Jungle】 would even accept the investment?”
“What? Who doesn’t like money?”
“These days, companies typically go public to raise funds. But there’s no such movement at all. Maybe they want to operate independently without external interference.”
“Is that so?”
“Or they could accept non-voting shares. This is common in Silicon Valley these days.”
“Eventually, I’ll have to find out their intentions.”
“Coincidentally, they’re moving to a new location next Monday. I was invited too.”
“Really? Can I go too?”
“Where wouldn’t welcome the eldest son of Guseong Group? I’ll contact them.”
“Alright, then give them a call. Ah, I’m tired, so I’ll head in first.”
Kim Tae-hyun stood up from his seat.
Thinking he might be tired from visiting here right after returning from his business trip to Japan, Kim Ah-young didn’t hold him for long.
No, her mind was in a hurry, and she wanted her oppa to leave quickly.
She needed to quickly discuss things with Lee Hyun-woo.
So, after Kim Tae-hyun left, she immediately called Lee Hyun-woo.
“He’s on another call. Should I go see him? No.”
She asked herself and answered herself.
Making a round trip twice in one day seemed like an excessive display of interest.
No matter what, she had to maintain her dignity and pride, right?
A woman who seems easy loses her worth, so she decided to handle it over the phone and contacted him again a little later.
This time, he answered.
“Hyun-woo, it’s me.”
(Hey, Ah-young. What’s up?)
She felt slightly hurt, thinking he was questioning why she called again after they just met.
But putting that emotion aside, she quickly got to the point.
“My oppa wants to invest in your company.”
(What? What’s going on today?)
“Huh? Did something happen?”
(Do you know Son Jung-yi?)
“Of course….”
(He contacted me a little while ago. He called the company first and then got my number to contact me.)
“……!”
So that’s why he was on another call.
Thinking this to herself, she quickly asked.
“Why did he call? Investment?”
(Yeah, he wants to discuss that and asked when I’d be available to meet.)
“What did you say?”
(I told him to come on Monday. It’s better to handle everything on the same day. That way, I can have peace of mind and rest.)
As always, Lee Hyun-woo focused on resting while working.
Kim Ah-young saw this as recharging.
She naturally considered it something to learn from.
‘After recharging, new ideas always come up, right?’
Anyway, hearing Son Jung-yi’s name from his mouth made her even more urgent.
(But he said he’s in the U.S. right now, so he needs to check his schedule. I told him to contact me before coming.)
“You really have guts. That guy has over 1 trillion won in his hands.”
(What have I got to lose? I believe we’ll be worth that much when we go public someday.)
“Right?”
(Of course. It’s not that we can’t do it; we’re choosing not to. If we go public, there will be too many people dictating this and that, which will be really annoying. So, tell your oppa that we respectfully decline the investment.)
“What?”
Half expected, half unexpected, Kim Ah-young was surprised by his words and let out an exclamatory question.
“Don’t say that. Think about it again. You could grow much bigger with the investment. Besides, there’s also the option of non-voting shares.”
(Non-voting shares….)
“Of course, Son Jung-yi wouldn’t want that. But if I talk to my oppa well, it could work out. I already told him that your company would grow more next year and be worth 200 billion won….”
Considering that Lee Hyun-woo scoffs at even trillions of won, she wasn’t sure if he would be impressed by 200 billion won.
So, she trailed off a bit, but fortunately, he accepted it.
(That could work too. Alright, then I’ll meet your oppa.)
“Got it. I’ll tell my oppa and bring him along on Monday. Is that okay?”
(I’m fine with it. It’s better to get everything done in one day.)
No matter how she thought about it, his guts and composure were impressive.
After hanging up, a bright smile spread across Kim Ah-young’s face.
But why did Lee Hyun-woo’s strengths make her so happy?
Meanwhile, after hanging up with Kim Ah-young, Lee Hyun-woo pondered again.
‘Investment….’
Certainly, an influx of funds would accelerate the company’s growth.
Especially if it’s from Son Jung-yi and Kim Tae-hyun, it wouldn’t be a small amount.
But for some reason, he felt uneasy.
As he mentioned to Kim Ah-young earlier, he didn’t want to be meddled with in management.
