The next day, as soon as the team leader meeting ended, Woo Sang-won requested a meeting.
“Do you have something to say?”
I welcomed him into the CEO’s office, and a cautious voice flowed out.
“I think someone should go to Japan.”
Lee Hyun-woo nodded slightly.
“That’s right. But it’s not you, Manager Woo.”
“Not me? Then who?”
“We need to think about that from now on.”
“All three team leaders are students. In a situation where we need to send someone at the team leader level, if I don’t go, who do you have in mind?”
“There are others who joined after you, Manager Woo. I think it’s a good opportunity to give them a chance.”
After Woo Sang-won joined Jungle, people from PC communication 【Hi】 knocked on the door.
Initially, a few came in, and for convenience, Lee Hyun-woo arranged for them to work with Woo Sang-won.
However, they were actually very experienced and skilled, so he didn’t think they should always be under someone.
“So, could you make a recommendation?”
As if he already had a plan, Woo Sang-won let out a hollow laugh.
“Haha… I was originally planning to go… but things turned out this way.”
“As you mentioned earlier, all three team leaders are students. Although Manager Oh Min-woo is taking a leave of absence, he will have to return to school someday, so we need you to hold the center of our company, Manager Woo.”
“Thank you for thinking of me that way. Although you might be saying it just to sound nice.”
“You know I don’t say things just to sound nice, right?”
“Haha…”
After letting out another awkward laugh, Woo Sang-won spoke again.
“Understood. Then I’ll talk to the people in the development room. Fortunately, the MP3 file project is in its final stages, so I can let it go with a light heart.”
“Yes, please do.”
As Lee Hyun-woo said with a smile, Woo Sang-won stood up.
After he left, Lee Hyun-woo called Yoo Jin-young, who was now acting as his secretary, to come in.
“Yes, CEO.”
“Please call Manager Jang Yoo-chul.”
“Yes, understood.”
The reason for calling Jang Yoo-chul was simple.
Since Woo Sang-won had brought it up, it seemed necessary to form a team to go to Japan.
So, after Jang Yoo-chul came in, Lee Hyun-woo asked.
“I just talked with Manager Woo, and he said the MP3 file project is in its final stages?”
“Yes, only the final minor tasks are left. It should be done within this week.”
“That’s great. Then we should start considering expanding to Japan. Recommend someone experienced from your team.”
Although the experienced members from PC communication 【Hi】 were mostly under Woo Sang-won, other teams also had experienced members.
That’s why he asked, but Jang Yoo-chul widened his eyes.
“Huh? From our team?”
“To be precise, we plan to select one person from each team. Since Manager Oh Min-woo’s team was formed recently, we’ll pick one from the remaining three teams. We’ll send three developers to Japan first.”
“Are there people to send besides developers?”
“We also need to pick two from the external cooperation team. They have people who speak Japanese.”
“Ah…”
For reference, as Jungle expanded, it was divided into a research and development team and an external cooperation team.
Within the external cooperation team, there were the sales team and the marketing team.
They were led by Han Se-jin and Kang Dong-ho, respectively, and Lee Hyun-woo always insisted on picking people with foreign language skills, so there were some who could speak Japanese.
In reality, this was part of a long-term plan.
He had been considering overseas expansion for a while.
“Understood. I’ll talk with the team members and select one.”
“By the way, since the MP3 is almost finished, the end of this year will be thrilling. You’ve worked hard.”
“It’s nothing.”
“What should I give you as a gift?”
Suddenly mentioning a gift, Lee Hyun-woo.
This was also part of his original plan.
Without a reward, the motivation to create something next would decrease.
Even now, just the word “gift” changed Jang Yoo-chul’s expression.
“A gift?”
“Yes, since you’ve completed the mission, there should be a reward. Oh, take this opportunity to go abroad. I’ll give you and your team alternating vacations.”
“…!”
“To be precise, go to the U.S. Go to Silicon Valley and broaden your horizons. Got it?”
“…!”
“I should send some emails to companies in Silicon Valley. I’ll ask them to set up a program since we’re planning to send our employees for training.”
Jang Yoo-chul, who couldn’t keep up with Lee Hyun-woo’s rapid words, eventually raised his hand.
“Wait a moment, CEO.”
“Hmm?”
“Can it be done that easily?”
“Why not?”
“But it’s Silicon Valley…”
“People don’t know, but do you know what the philosophy of companies in Silicon Valley is?”
“Well… technology? Creativity?”
“Those too, but the core is openness.”
“Ah, right.”
“They’re always open to people coming and learning. Of course, they are strict about security for core technologies, but they openly share their corporate culture and the founders’ philosophies as if they’re proud.”
If asked how he knew this, he would have to come up with an excuse, but fortunately, Jang Yoo-chul just nodded with a bright face without asking.
“Understood. Such a vacation is always welcome. Haha.”
“Good. Then I’ll mix your team and Manager Woo’s team and send them alternately.”
“Thank you, CEO.”
“I’m more grateful. You’ve created an enormous source of income for our company.”
“Well, how do you know the MP3 file will be that successful?”
“I just know.”
“Oh, right. You’re Nostradamus, CEO?”
“…!”
“Then I’ll trust you and look forward to it. Haha.”
Although it wasn’t referring to the Nostradamus of the blog, sometimes it startled him.
‘Indeed, people can’t live with guilt.’
Although he hadn’t committed any crimes, those with secrets tend to get their conscience pricked this way.
Maybe because of this, he felt a bit uneasy seeing Oh Min-woo approaching with glaring eyes.
As always, he was someone who would freely trace IPs and figure out that Lee Hyun-woo was Nostradamus.
“CEO, how could you do this?”
“What?”
“You said you’re sending Yoo-chul’s team to Silicon Valley?”
“To be precise, I’ll send Manager Jang’s and Manager Woo’s entire teams alternately for short-term training. Along with vacations.”
“Exactly. Why am I not included? I also want to go to Silicon Valley.”
“Your project isn’t finished yet.”
“Then can I go once it’s done?”
“Of course. I was planning to reward everyone once these projects were completed.”
Oh Min-woo was a quick thinker.
Even now, after pondering something, he immediately said.
“Huh? Now that I think about it, this was a pointless competition.”
“What do you mean?”
“It wasn’t a competition to determine the 1st and 2nd teams. I just realized this.”
“That’s because I didn’t say anything. You guys got all fired up on your own.”
“Wow, I was deceived.”
“Deceived? What did I deceive you about? Anyway, can you make this for me?”
“Giving another task amidst this, our CEO is class!”
As expected, being a free spirit, he spoke in a language far from corporate lingo.
Lee Hyun-woo had somewhat given up on Oh Min-woo.
So even now, he ignored it and delivered his message.
“Make an accounting ledger using Excel. It’s the end of the year, so we need to organize things.”
“Already? So meticulous.”
“It’s not for me; I think the accounting team will struggle. You can whip up such things in no time.”
This time, they had also set up an accounting team.
As the company grew, there was a lot to organize.
“That’s true. If it’s an accounting ledger, I can finish it in half a day.”
“Don’t do it too carelessly.”
“Got it. I’ll give it to you before I leave.”
Oh Min-woo, who was about to get up, was looked at by Lee Hyun-woo, who seemed to have remembered something and asked.
“Huh? By the way, didn’t you go to school today?”
“No, I went. It was the final exam period.”
“…”
“Don’t look at me like that. I’m good at exams. It’s just that my attendance is poor.”
“Okay, got it.”
When does he study?
Even so, he says he did well on the exam, so there’s nothing to say.
‘According to Jung-woo, his answers were almost perfect, and even the professors were amazed.’
If this is true, he’s definitely a genius.
Sometimes, his erratic behavior was tolerated, and the drastic decision to make him a team leader had its reasons.
‘【Jungle】 should have two types of examples.’
Achievements gained through hard work and geniuses armed with creativity.
Sending them for overseas training and vacation was part of that, and embracing the current Oh Min-woo was also part of it.
However, Lee Hyun-woo was slightly surprised by what his younger brother Lee Jung-woo said when he appeared around quitting time.
“Oh Min-woo is going to drop out of school?”
“He says there’s nothing more to learn and that he took this exam half-heartedly.”
“He said he did well earlier.”
“I don’t know. He told his friends he did it half-heartedly and that although he’s taking a leave of absence, there’s zero chance he’ll return.”
Even in a private conversation, Lee Jung-woo’s consistent use of formal language showed that he had perfectly adapted to corporate life.
Of course, he also expressed his true feelings this way.
“Actually, I also want to drop out. As I mentioned yesterday, I’m so tired of going to school.”
“It’s your life, so you should decide, but as I said yesterday, I hope you continue your studies.”
“Then how about this?”
What scheme is he planning now?
At times like this, Lee Hyun-woo felt like he was raising a child.
Trying to make him study while the young team leaders were trying to avoid school.
“What?”
“I saw that overseas universities have MBA courses.”
“I know what you’re getting at. But you need to graduate from college for that too.”
“Oh, really? I just skimmed through the article.”
“Our country’s media monopolizes information but doesn’t provide accurate details.”
“Right? When you read superficially, it seems like something is happening somewhere, but to know in detail, you have to read the newspapers from that country. My English isn’t that good…”
“Thinking about studying abroad when you can’t even handle English? That’s a cheap trick. Saying you’d prepare after pausing college to buy time.”
“Busted. Our CEO is really hard to deceive.”
“Not only that, but I also rarely forget what I heard.”
“What are you planning not to forget today?”
“Your MBA. I now want you to aim for that after graduating from college. I’ll send you abroad.”
“Hyung! What about the company?”
Lee Jung-woo got so surprised and crossed the professional-personal boundary.
“Why are you worrying about the company? I’ll take care of everything. And by then, we might have expanded to the U.S.”
“…!”
