The person in charge at 【Samjin Computer】 is trying to adjust the schedule to match Lee Hyun-woo’s availability.
“When would be a good date?”
Although it’s unclear if this is what Lee Hyun-woo wants, the situation is escalating.
‘This is not the time for this.’
Han Se-jin quickly grabbed the receiver and called Lee Hyun-woo.
After conveying that the chairman of 【Samjin Computer】 wants to meet directly,
“What? He said he can meet today?”
Han Se-jin, who should be used to such spontaneity by now, was still surprised and asked the person in charge again.
“Is today okay?”
“What? No, why… just a moment.”
The person in charge, also repeatedly surprised, went back up and came down again.
While Lee Hyun-woo is eccentric, it seems the chairman of 【Samjin Computer】 has a similar personality.
“It’s possible!”
“Really?”
“Yes, really.”
“How is that…”
“It may be surprising, but our chairman is also recognized for his drive, just like the CEO of 【Jungle Soft】. He literally built everything from scratch.”
“Ah, I see…”
“However, there is something to be cautious about.”
“What is it?”
“He has a rather quirky personality.”
“……?”
“Please inform your CEO in advance. He might get offended otherwise.”
“What exactly do you mean?”
“First, because of the age difference, he won’t expect you to use honorifics….”
Han Se-jin interrupted and retorted immediately.
“No, that’s a bit much! No matter how young our CEO is, he is still the head of a company.”
“I understand. That’s why I’m telling you in advance, and to add a bit more, he means no harm. It’s more of a sign that he wants to get closer.”
“That’s not acceptable. Please request that he shows proper etiquette. Otherwise, I cannot proceed with this meeting.”
“Wait… wasn’t it them who wanted to meet first?”
“Even so.”
Is Han Se-jin becoming more like the CEO?
At times, he had a tendency to forcefully push things onto Lee Hyun-woo, and it’s showing now.
With no choice, the person in charge went back up again.
It was the third time today.
When he came back down…
“I conveyed it as best as I could. But I can’t guarantee anything. Still, he said he won’t be too informal at the start.”
“Was he planning to use informal speech from the beginning?”
“Hey, this conversation is getting long. Are we meeting or not?”
“Got it. I will contact you.”
Pretending to be reluctant, Han Se-jin contacted Lee Hyun-woo again.
“Oh, really? Got it. I’ll head over there.”
As soon as Lee Hyun-woo hung up after being contacted by Han Se-jin, he stood up from his seat.
He immediately left for 【Samjin Computer】’s headquarters, and fortunately, he arrived quickly as there was no traffic.
Shortly after, Lee Hyun-woo met with Han Se-jin, who had urgently arranged the meeting between the two company heads, and praised him.
“CEO, about what I mentioned earlier.”
“Oh, it’s fine, don’t worry.”
While heading to the chairman’s office of 【Samjin Computer】, Lee Hyun-woo smiled as he listened to Han Se-jin rehashing their earlier conversation.
“I roughly know his personality.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really.”
It was true. In his past life, when 【Samjin】 entered the U.S. market under the brand 【E-Computer】, it was Lee Hyun-woo who had facilitated their entry.
At that time, Lee Hyun-woo had met the chairman of 【Samjin】 and experienced his straightforward personality.
‘Would his personality change in this life?’
On the other hand, Han Se-jin’s curiosity rose.
What could Lee Hyun-woo possibly not know, who he didn’t know, or what he wasn’t aware of?
‘Well, being so confident and competent, he leads situations even in front of domestic and foreign journalists.’
The more he experienced, the more his respect grew.
It wasn’t something just anyone could do, which made him want to emulate him even more.
So Han Se-jin took out his notebook again.
― December 12, today’s lesson. Even if something is pushed urgently, approach it confidently. But it’s essential to research the other party’s character in advance. Case: When the CEO met the chairman of 【Samjin Computer】, he spoke as if he already knew everything… (omitted)…
Unaware of Han Se-jin’s notes, Lee Hyun-woo bowed his head as soon as he entered the chairman’s office.
“Nice to meet you.”
“I’m Park Jin-yong.”
Park Jin-yong, with a head full of white hair, was already sixty-six.
But Lee Hyun-woo already knew that his drive was no less than that of a young person.
And his personality too.
“Please speak informally.”
“What? Really… is that okay?”
“Of course.”
“Someone just asked me to be polite, though?”
“That’s how subordinates are. They just do things on their own without being told. Even though they are young, I don’t understand why they live with such closed-minded thinking.”
“…….”
As Lee Hyun-woo blamed his subordinate, Park Jin-yong’s mouth widened into a smile.
“Exactly. That’s what I’m saying. I’m over sixty, but when I see young people, they seem more cautious than me. You don’t seem like that, so I liked you from the start.”
“That’s a relief. Please feel free with me. Isn’t that how we get closer?”
“Good, good! So, what about the tea? What will you have?”
“Definitely black coffee.”
“Black coffee is good. You have exactly the same taste as me.”
“Could it be that we were connected in a past life?”
“Haha, just from black coffee, a past life connection?”
“It’s not just that. Our hearts and personalities match too, don’t they?”
“That’s true. Hahaha.”
For some reason, Chairman Park Jin-yong kept laughing.
Even during the conversation that started after ordering two black coffees from his secretary, his cheerful mood was evident.
“I’m not trying to make you feel good, but it’s really nice to talk with a young person. These days, everyone around me is just aging with me.”
“Age is just a number. I get called an old soul too.”
“Is that so? Then should we be like brothers?”
“I’d welcome that.”
“Oh, come on… taking a joke so seriously? Hahaha.”
“I knew it was a joke. And I’m good at taking jokes. Hahaha.”
Before getting to the main topic, their conversation flowed smoothly as if they had known each other for a long time.
Even the 40-year age gap between them seemed insignificant, surprising Park Jin-yong.
‘This guy’s personality can’t always be like this. He’s probably adjusting to me. No wonder Jungle is growing so fast. But why did he want to meet me?’
Unable to contain his curiosity, he eventually asked Lee Hyun-woo why he wanted to see him.
“So, what’s the reason you wanted to meet me today?”
Lee Hyun-woo knew well that Park Jin-yong disliked beating around the bush.
So he got straight to the point.
“It’s about high-speed internet.”
“Huh?”
“I was wondering if 【Samjin Computer】 would venture into it.”
“……!”
Suggesting a computer manufacturing company to delve into high-speed internet?
It seemed like a random proposal.
But it wasn’t.
【Samjin Computer】 had attempted to enter the internet business but had failed.
Originally, they had discussions to be the subcontractor for ADSL, which was being promoted by 【Daehan Electric】, but it fell through.
So Chairman Park Jin-yong was once again surprised.
‘Does this young man know about that?’
Of course, Lee Hyun-woo knew.
In his past life, 【Samjin Computer】 had competed with 【Duksung Group】 for the ADSL contract.
So why did Lee Hyun-woo seek out Chairman Park Jin-yong?
‘Since I inadvertently hindered 【Samjin Computer】’s entry into the high-speed internet business with 【Doronet】from Duksung, I will restore it and accelerate the nationwide network of ADSL.’
This was Lee Hyun-woo’s plan.
Unaware of this, Chairman Park Jin-yong asked in a dry voice.
“You’re suggesting we enter the high-speed internet business?”
Looking into Chairman Park Jin-yong’s wavering eyes, Lee Hyun-woo signaled firmly again.
“Now is the right time. It’s the perfect timing to enter a blue ocean. Isn’t it true that not everyone can do this? Only prepared companies can.”
“A prepared company, huh…”
“I happened to hear that 【Samjin Computer】 was going to subcontract the ADSL service from 【Daehan Electric】.”
Chairman Park Jin-yong’s eyes wavered once more.
‘He did know.’
So should he admit it and seek advice?
Though he was straightforward, Park Jin-yong wasn’t someone who opened up to just anyone.
But now, he wanted to share his concerns with Lee Hyun-woo.
“That’s right. We were discussing with several cable operators. If 【Daehan Electric】 had entrusted us with the ADSL business, we were ready to jump in immediately.”
“Yes, I heard that part as well.”
“Talking about it makes me angry. Because suddenly【Daehan Electric】 decided to run the service themselves, our plans fell apart.”
“What if you push for it again? Do you think you can persuade those cable operators?”
“I’m not sure about that.”
“What do you reallly think, Chairman? Have you lost your determination?”
“I will definitely do it. When the time is right. But hearing you say now is the right time, my motivation suddenly surged.”
Lee Hyun-woo smiled.
‘This guy is going to start.’
If someone asked him if he expected this outcome, he would obviously say it was fifty-fifty.
But knowing Park Jin-yong’s “all or nothing” attitude from the past life, he decided to give it a try.
So, why hadn’t Lee Hyun-woo attempted this earlier?
For example, before the first attempt of 【Daehan Electric】 to subcontract the high-speed internet ADSL to 【Samjin Computer】, the scenario might have seemed more natural.
‘Sorry, but it couldn’t be helped this time.’
The answer lay in the past life.
【Daehan Electric】 took over two years to push for ADSL.
While the internal situation was unclear, Lee Hyun-woo decided to test the waters with 【Daehan Electric】 first.
Now that the ADSL of 【Daehan Electric】 seemed close to commercialization, he thought it was time to spread it like wildfire with the help of 【Samjin Computer】.
‘Working with a public enterprise was frustrating.’
As this stream of consciousness reached this point, Chairman Park Jin-yong asked another question.
“But what does us venturing into high-speed internet have to do with your 【Jungle】?”
Only now did his curiosity arise, prompting the question.
Lee Hyun-woo answered honestly.
“We’re about to launch something huge in the market.”
“What is it?”
“MP3. What it is, is…”
Lee Hyun-woo gave a brief but core explanation, which astonished Chairman Park Jin-yong.
Then he said,
“You’re a genius, aren’t you?”
