The first to open the conversation was Son Jung-yi.
“Thank you for the compliment. In fact, the vision I have for the information and communication field is almost entirely encapsulated in this. In that sense, I am envious of Korea. Aren’t there many online auctions, shopping, and portal sites emerging in Korea that we don’t yet have in Japan?”
“Couldn’t 【Software Bank】 also do it in Japan?”
“We could, but it would be a crude service that couldn’t compete with 【Jungle】 or 【Yaho】. By nature, we don’t advance in such a manner.”
A sense of regret lingered on Son Jung-yi’s face.
Has Japan lost its dynamism over the past 10 years?
The spirit of new challenges has diminished, and otaku mentality has filled the void.
If this continues for a few more years, it seems Japan will turn into an isolated island, not just geographically isolated but socially as well.
Recently, there’s even a term “Galapagos syndrome” that has emerged.
Son Jung-yi wanted to change this.
He believed that IT could be a new driving force for Japan.
So he said, “I, too, want to create a portal site like 【Yaho】 and 【Jungle】.”
“Japan has the internet infrastructure, so it’s entirely possible. Ah, I heard you visited the U.S. Do you plan to partner with 【Yaho】 to create a portal site?”
With such a direct question, Son Jung-yi found it difficult to give an immediate answer.
Although he had discussions with Jamie Yang, the founder of 【Yahoo】, nothing had been finalized.
The reason for not making a decision was simple.
Son Jung-yi laid it out honestly.
“Actually, when I said I found 【Jungle】 attractive earlier, I meant I wanted to invest. After examining both sides, 【Yaho】 and 【Jungle】, I dream of partnering with the better option to introduce a portal site in Japan.”
“I’m sorry, but we don’t accept investments. A joint venture, however, might be considered.”
“You don’t accept investments? No, what do you mean by a joint venture?”
Surprised and puzzled that his offer of investment wasn’t immediately accepted, Son Jung-yi asked.
“A portal site in Japan. It means we could consider a joint venture to operate it together.”
“Ah, I understand. Then what if I have no intention of a joint venture?”
“Then you would have to enter the market alone or partner with someone else.”
His confident words suggested he would achieve whatever he wanted.
Thus, Son Jung-yi found himself at a crossroads.
【Yaho】 or 【Jungle】?
‘There’s one more option.’
That was to take the time to choose the better side.
The problem was not with 【Yaho】 but with 【Jungle】.
【Yaho】 was already a place where Son Jung-yi had invested.
So, if he decided to expand into Asia, he could always partner with them.
However, 【Jungle】 refused investment and only demanded a joint venture.
Shouldn’t he have some insurance?
“Can I hear your plan?”
At Son Jung-yi’s cautious question, Lee Hyun-woo nodded and smiled.
Then he gently conveyed the words he had previously shared with Kim Tae-hyun, the successor of 【Guseong Group】.
As he listened to the story, Son Jung-yi’s expression brightened considerably.
He was originally someone who made bold decisions.
There were instances where he was swayed by a conversation during a meal and ended up investing.
It might look impulsive, but it also indicated his remarkable instinct for management in the moment.
He believed that if he delayed, he might miss the timing of the investment and suffer greater losses later.
So as soon as he finished listening to Lee Hyun-woo, he quickly reacted.
“I will go ahead with the joint venture.”
“Thank you.”
“……”
Seeing Lee Hyun-woo not surprised or questioning if it was true, Son Jung-yi smiled bitterly.
‘Does he have that much confidence?’
Indeed, examining 【Jungle】’s progress revealed many unbelievable points.
They had grown at an incredible rate without receiving proper investments.
Son Jung-yi found this out while researching the Korean market.
Since he planned to expand into Asia by partnering with 【Yahoo】, he couldn’t overlook it.
No matter how much he investigated, Lee Hyun-woo was always one step ahead of him.
Even if it was in a past life, Lee Hyun-woo had already thoroughly examined Son Jung-yi’s past and future.
This was the inevitable reason why Son Jung-yi had to relinquish the lead in negotiations to Lee Hyun-woo.
Unknowingly drawn into Lee Hyun-woo’s net, an important question now arose.
“By the way, who are the two people you mentioned earlier?”
“It’s 【Guseong Group】. Specifically, Director Kim Tae-hyun of 【Guseong Systems】 and Director Kim Ah-young of 【Seorabeol Hotel】.”
“Ah…”
A sigh escaped Son Jung-yi’s lips.
‘There really was a plan.’
If he hadn’t made a spontaneous decision just now, 【Jungle】 might have gone independently or partnered with 【Guseong Group】 to enter Japan.
Recently, 【Guseong】 had been showcasing tremendous technology on the international stage, though not as much as Japanese semiconductor companies.
Thus, a joint venture between 【Guseong】 and 【Jungle】 could be described as a fatal collaboration between hardware and software.
He was already looking forward to the synergy.
‘This trip to the U.S. and Korea might be the wisest investment decision of my life.’
Whether it was 【Yaho】 or 【Jungle】, if they enter Japan, they would all be places where 【Software Bank】 had a stake.
Wouldn’t 【Software Bank】 then have a tremendous influence on Japan’s portal market?
Feeling a sense of pride, Son Jung-yi left 【Jungle】 and thought about his upcoming schedule.
It needed a slight adjustment.
‘Coincidentally, I’m staying at 【Seorabeol Hotel】, so I should meet Director Kim Ah-young and then see Kim Tae-hyun.’
The power of acting upon thoughts.
That was Son Jung-yi’s greatest strength.
Meanwhile, after sending off Son Jung-yi, Lee Hyun-woo nonchalantly called for a team leader meeting and said,
“It looks like we’re going to expand into Japan.”
“……!”
“……!”
“……!”
“……!”
Although not all team leaders were present, those who were had faces full of exclamation marks.
After a brief pause, the questions began.
“Is it true?”
“Ah, so that’s why Son Jung-yi came?”
“When? How?”
“Will Japan’s infrastructure support it?”
Skipping all other processes, Min-woo Oh asked the last question, which was indeed perceptive.
Currently, Korea was a country testing ADSL.
His question seemed to imply that if even the U.S., the birthplace of the information revolution, couldn’t keep up, could Japan’s portal environment be feasible?
“As always, innovation drives demand, and demand forces development and infrastructure. We proved the demand through online auctions, which led to online shopping. Think about it. What was the most sold product in the early days of online shopping?”
“Affordable computers!”
“Ding-dong. And those computers had modems. As they became popular, the internet population grew, and that population became a catalyst for moving from PC communications to portal sites. As more people accessed portal sites, what happened next?”
“ADSL!”
“Today, student Oh Min-woo is giving the best answers. Correct. The ADSL trial tests are underway. If we expand overseas, this speed will definitely be accelerated.”
Lee Hyun-woo’s playful reference to Oh Min-woo as a ‘student’ was filled with scenarios of the future.
Since everything he said had come true by the end of the year, the team leaders couldn’t help but believe.
“So, we’ve satisfied student Oh Min-woo’s curiosity here. Team Leader Jang Yoo-chul asked earlier if that was why Son Jung-yi came. Yes, that’s right. I didn’t mention it before to avoid unnecessary expectations, but I thought Son Jung-yi would want to invest in our company. In fact, quite a few people want to invest in our company. During the last expansion ceremony, Director Kim Tae-hyun and Director Kim Ah-young of 【Guseong Group】 proposed an investment. Of course, I declined.”
“You declined?”
“Don’t be surprised. Actually, the topic of a joint venture in Japan came up then. Knowing that Son Jung-yi would come to discuss investment, I thought it would be better to gather these people and create a joint venture called 【Jungle Japan】. That’s how this plan was conceived.”
“And you were the one who designed this plan, CEO?”
“Of course. In this process, there will be an appropriate distribution of shares, with our share being 40%, and the remaining three taking suitable shares.”
As Lee Hyun-woo detailed the series of processes, expressions of astonishment appeared on everyone’s faces.
After another brief pause, Dong-ho Kang asked,
“CEO, why wouldn’t Son Jung-yi create a portal site independently?”
“That’s simple.”
Even without Lee Hyun-woo stepping in, someone else answered.
It was the reliable big brother, Sang-won Woo.
“Do the online auction, shopping sites, and portal sites that try to imitate us do well? No, they don’t. When you look at their sites, they seem to have the technology, but they lack experience. If you look closely, they’re undoubtedly experiencing the trial and error we went through. Son Jung-yi would be no different. And what if he inadvertently opens the way to a blue ocean and then we enter the Japanese market?”
“Oh, I see.”
Sang-won’s words were true.
Often, the reason a ‘fast follower’ rather than the ‘new comer’ dominates the market lies here.
In that sense, 【Amazoness】, 【Yaho】, and 【eBase】, which entered the market later than 【Jungle】, could be defined as fast followers.
And whether Lee Hyun-woo intended it or not, he would soon meet those who first paved the way.
Is he looking forward to that?
It seemed a larger picture was painted in Lee Hyun-woo’s eyes than before.
Two days later.
Kim Ah-young contacted him.
(It’s Ah-young.)
“Oh, yeah.”
(I’m meeting with Son Jung-yi right now.)
As if he expected it, Lee Hyun-woo’s voice was relaxed.
“Then you must have heard the story roughly.”
(Yeah. And after meeting me, he went to meet oppa, so he probably talked about the joint venture there too.)
It was as anticipated.
While Son Jung-yi had a spontaneous side, he didn’t handle tasks carelessly afterward.
“Okay. Then I’ll have to visit hyung soon. We need to discuss specific plans.”
(Shall we? Then I can join the discussion too, right?)
“Yeah, I’ll contact you.”
(No, I’ll discuss it with oppa and contact you.)
“Huh? Oh, okay. Got it.”
(Then I’ll hang up.)
“Okay, take care.”
As he hung up, Lee Hyun-woo tilted his head.
He had felt it for some time now; whenever he said he would contact her, she insisted on contacting him herself.
‘Is she impatient?’
He still doesn’t know.
The anxious heart of Kim Ah-young, who would become restless if she hung up the phone after hearing that Lee Hyun-woo would contact her.
