Have you ever felt overwhelmed by what to read first?
These emails and news must be filled with good news.
“Let’s just go in order.”
Lee Hyun-woo first opened an email sent by Joe Max, CEO of Diamond Fund.
Although there were no specific figures, the email was full of intentions to invest aggressively.
Next, Motorola expressed their desire to collaborate with Jungle Soft to create a new program, and Nobuyuki Securities had a similar message to that of Diamond Fund.
However, the contents from Dachshund Research Institute and Stanford University were a bit different.
They invited Lee Hyun-woo to hold a forum.
“This is interesting. Let’s keep them all for now.”
Next, he read the news from Yaho.
The article mentioned that Son Jung-yi went to Korea to meet with Lee Hyun-woo and reached an agreement.
However, the article focused more on the confirmation of the investment rather than specific details.
Son Jung-yi maintained some confidentiality while promoting Jungle, Yaho, and Software Bank.
Since the article was published in the U.S., it wouldn’t be different in Japan.
Although Lee Hyun-woo didn’t actively look for it, the news was likely prominently reported in Japanese newspapers.
This explains why there were contact attempts via email from the U.S., Japan, and Germany.
“Alright, save everything!”
Receiving investments or collaborating on developments now would be premature.
It’s much better to raise the value later by holding off.
With this thought, he called a meeting.
After sharing the emails and news he received earlier, there was an uproar for two consecutive days.
“Is it even possible to be this successful?”
“It feels like I’m dreaming every day.”
“We’re so high up that I’m getting acrophobia.”
“But, I might be greedy for Dachshund Research Institute and Stanford University.”
The person who spoke last was Woo Sang-won.
He rated the capabilities of the other three team leaders higher than his own.
Thus, he wanted to delve deeper into learning.
Sensing a bit of that desire, Lee Hyun-woo nodded and spoke.
“Then, let’s plan a separate schedule to visit Germany later, including a visit to Dachshund Research Institute. Team Leader Woo and Team Leader Jang will go.”
“Ah, is that okay? Won’t the CEO go personally?”
“There’s no rule that says a forum must be held overseas.”
“What? Then…”
“Let’s hold it in Korea.”
Everyone was surprised by his nonchalant tone.
The first to regain composure was Oh Min-woo.
“The CEO’s confidence is sky-high. Are you saying they’ll come if we call them?”
“Precisely, those who need us will come.”
“Wow, that’s impressive. This is why I fell for the CEO and chose Jungle.”
“By the way, the forum will be held at Wangsimni University, not our company.”
“What? Why our school?”
“To develop better software, we must collaborate with universities. Wangsimni University has the most connections with us. Three of our team leaders are from Wangsimni University. Isn’t that right?”
“……”
“Furthermore, we’ll be developing new software with the Computer Science Department of Wangsimni University, meaning we’ll be investing in it.”
Oh Min-woo’s eyes wavered at Lee Hyun-woo’s repeated statements.
He had recently considered dropping out.
But…
‘If I drop out now, it feels like a bad idea.’
Developing software in collaboration with Jungle at his alma mater?
He didn’t know what it would entail, but it seemed really fun.
Thus, Oh Min-woo decided to reconsider dropping out.
‘This hyung knows how to handle me too well.’
It felt like he had finally met a proper mentor.
Oddly enough, he felt great.
Like when Pang Tong met Liu Bei in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms?
Eventually, General Liu Bei concluded.
“Team Leader Oh, you will visit Stanford University.”
Lee Hyun-woo always had a plan.
It wasn’t pre-planned.
However, someone who has lived a previous life always has plans at every moment.
This is also known as adaptability.
But since that term is used in critical moments, it can only be called planning.
“There is a research institute in Germany that first created MPEG. Visiting Dachshund Research Institute and claiming ownership of our MP3 file or negotiating a patent would be good.”
To this end, he decided to send Woo Sang-won and Jang Yoo-chul, who developed the MP3 file.
He had originally planned for Oh Min-woo to go to the U.S.
This was part of the research he did with his brother, Lee Jung-woo, who often spoke about an MBA.
He believed that the two would grow much more if they visited the birthplace of IT in America.
‘My second life is truly on a smooth path. Everything is going so well.’
Indeed, everything unfolding before Lee Hyun-woo’s eyes seemed smooth in every direction.
Even the next day, his parents brought up joyful topics at the dining table.
“We’re planning to move to Bundang.”
“Wow, really?”
“Would we joke about something like this?”
“The apartment prices there are no joke.”
“Exactly. We can afford those no joke prices.”
“It’s all thanks to you two.”
At the reaction of his younger brother, Lee Jung-woo, their parents’ voices were filled with joy and excitement.
Lee Hyun-woo felt a surge of emotion welling up inside.
It was inevitable, considering how much his parents had struggled.
‘Now it’s the end of hardships and the beginning of happiness.’
Seeing his parents with this thought brought tears to his eyes.
Not just his parents, but Lee Jung-woo also had a subtle emotional expression.
Perhaps because of this, as they commuted together later, Lee Jung-woo reminisced about their life in the old house.
“Do you remember when we fixed the leaking ceiling during the rainy season?”
“Of course.”
“We also shivered together when the boiler broke.”
“Yes, we did.”
“All those will become memories now, won’t they?”
“They will. But never forget where we came from, alright?”
“You mean stay humble?”
“Exactly. Always stay humble and be grateful to the world.”
The last words felt like they were directed at himself.
Living this life again, wasn’t he making money too easily?
He should be thankful to someone, but that someone is a high-ranking official in the afterlife.
This thought reminded him of the incident where he saved a pregnant woman from a car accident by chance.
‘Yes, helping others has brought me this fortune.’
So, he should continue to help others in this life.
With this flow of thought, someone who needed help came to Lee Hyun-woo in the morning.
It wasn’t a stranger.
It was Jung Sung-woo, CEO of Alpha Cast.
“I heard the MP3 is completed.”
“Ah, yes.”
Did Jang Yoo-chul contact him?
Guessing this, Lee Hyun-woo started designing a different version of Alpha Cast from his previous life.
‘Alpha Cast was tricked by a large company into transferring its patent rights and then went bankrupt. This caused key technology to fall into the wrong hands.’
Lee Hyun-woo smiled and said.
“It seems you can produce according to the design you showed last time.”
“Can we really?”
“Are you scared?”
“Half and half. As you understand, taking responsibility for employees’ lives requires caution in decisions. Initially, I was excited because of the investment, but now I’m wondering if this will really work.”
“I understand. I would’ve felt the same. So, for now, focus on research and development. In the meantime, observe the market impact of MP3 files.”
Emphasizing again, demand creates new products.
If they prove the demand for MP3 files, Alpha Cast will push harder.
“Many jobs will be created, and domestic and international investments will pour in.”
If Korea becomes the origin of MP3 files and players, the ripple effect would be immeasurable.
Thinking this far, everything seemed to connect.
With the spread of ADSL, download and streaming speeds will increase.
At the perfect timing, the appearance of MP3 files will create a “sensation.”
Scenes of enormous growth in the music industry, far greater than in the past, filled Lee Hyun-woo’s mind.
With his happiness circuit running, Lee Hyun-woo smiled and said to Jung Sung-woo.
“Please follow me for a moment. I think I need to give you more confidence.”
Lee Hyun-woo got up.
He moved to Woo Sang-won’s development office with Jung Sung-woo.
Woo Sang-won, who co-developed the MP3 file with Jang Yoo-chul, had another mission.
It was to create a commercial website for it.
To show that, they entered the development office, and Lee Hyun-woo asked Woo Sang-won.
“I’d like to show CEO Jung the music service. Is that possible?”
“Yes, CEO.”
It wouldn’t be perfect yet.
But showing how commercially viable it was should give Jung Sung-woo more confidence.
“It’s better for Manager Woo to explain than me.”
At this, Woo Sang-won nodded and brought up the test website on the computer.
“Do you see the Jungle Music chart here?”
“Yes, I see it.”
“Clicking it opens a new web page displaying the top songs by sales.”
Seeing that the top song was Kim Yoon-sun’s “Tonight,” it seemed Woo Sang-won was also her fan.
“Now, if we click on the number one song, ‘Tonight’…”
With a ‘Ding’ sound, a window popped up saying, “Would you like to download?”
“Currently, you can just download it, but when the site officially launches, you’ll need 100 Jungle Coins. By the way, ‘Coins’ are Jungle’s currency.”
“Yes, I know. One coin is one won, right?”
“Correct. The downloaded music can be played on the computer. Ah, and we’ll use Jungle Music’s software for playback, which can be downloaded for free.”
At this point, Lee Hyun-woo interjected.
“Playing on a computer alone will generate some profit. But what if you could listen to music on the go, like a CD player or a cassette?”
“Haha, you don’t need to explain further. I feel more and more sorry. If I had been more clear earlier, we wouldn’t have needed to go through this.”
“No worries. Seeing something concrete motivates the creators more, doesn’t it?”
Lee Hyun-woo answered with a face that showed he wasn’t bothered at all.
Seeing this, Jung Sung-woo couldn’t help but look moved.
“I’ll prepare without any doubts now. I’ll rush to produce a prototype.”
“Yes, I’ll be looking forward to it.”
