Recently, Kim Yoon-soo, who had increased production facilities too much, was quite anxious.
That’s exactly why he came to visit the day before.
Especially yesterday, Lee Hyun-woo seemed to think that Kim Yoon-soo was pushing for some event with 【Samjin Computer】, asking all sorts of questions and complaining a lot.
But today, why is Lee Hyun-woo suddenly talking about computer parts?
“Why computer parts all of a sudden?”
“Lately, there’s an oversupply of computers. You know that, right?”
“Of course.”
“Competition is getting fiercer. It’s eventually leading to price competition.”
“Of course. I have something to say about that. You know President Hwang Il-ho, right?”
“President Hwang? Yes, I know him.”
Hwang Il-ho is a president who has shown tremendous skill in the Yongsan electronics market.
If he was number one in that field, it would be accurate to say that Kim Yoon-soo was at the bottom.
Being quick-witted, Hwang Il-ho heard that Kim Yoon-soo made a decent profit through 【Jungle】’s auctions in the early stages and immediately attempted a ‘fast follower’ strategy with auctions.
The results weren’t bad, and since then, he has maintained a close relationship with 【Jungle】 through online shopping, etc.
“I vaguely heard that he was looking for a factory, and he finally started manufacturing computers.”
“I always thought he would at some point.”
“I think he might produce low-cost computers similar to ours.”
“100% sure. Are you ready to face a rival?”
“You find this situation amusing, don’t you? Competitors fighting it out.”
“How could that be? I’m always on President Kim’s side.”
“Until when will you call me President Kim?”
“Then how should I call you?”
“Should you call me hyung?”
“What? No, no matter what…”
“I’m in my 30s.”
“……!”
This was the most surprising thing Lee Hyun-woo had heard from Kim Yoon-soo.
If it were true, he looked incredibly old for his age, but Lee Hyun-woo quickly hid his expression and said,
“I always thought you were in your mid-30s. But given the difference between work and personal life, calling you hyung might be a bit much.”
“Then call me hyung in private. Do I really look like I’m in my mid-30s?”
“Of course.”
“Ha ha… I see. Ha ha…”
Judging by his pleased reaction, he’s in his late 30s.
Anyway, he stopped laughing and said the following.
“Oh, we got sidetracked talking about parts. What were you going to say?”
“I wanted to check first if you have the capacity.”
“What capacity? Money?”
“Yes, money and production space.”
“My father said he would invest more.”
“Oh? Really?”
“It seems my father was surprised to see me pay back the investment and succeed. He keeps telling me to go big while I can. So we hurriedly expanded the factory.”
‘Isn’t this a good thing?’
Lee Hyun-woo didn’t know how rich this man’s father was, but having a never-ending source of funds was a huge advantage.
If they could properly set up the system during the explosive demand for information and communication goods, 【One Computer】 could become a very solid company.
“That’s absolutely fantastic. Congratulations once again.”
“Thank you. It’s all thanks to you.”
“Oh, it’s mutual support. So there’s no problem then.”
It looks like Lee Hyun-woo was finally going to bring up the parts he’s been wanting to talk about.
Kim Yoon-soo’s face brightened.
Like many others, or perhaps even more than others, he believed Lee Hyun-woo to be a genius.
Or maybe it had evolved into almost a form of faith?
That’s because the primary reason for the birth and rapid growth of 【One Computer】 was Lee Hyun-woo.
“By any chance, are you thinking of developing a modem for the new era?”
“I told you to call me hyung.”
“Okay, hyung.”
“Hmm, a modem… Some of our researchers have mentioned that. With the internet speed getting faster, getting into network equipment might not be a bad idea.”
“You have a great research team.”
“Lee Jung-woo introduced them all.”
It seemed to be one of Lee Jung-woo’s school peers or seniors.
Anyway, seeing that they had already discussed it, it didn’t seem hard to persuade him.
“Demand always gives birth to new products. Try developing a modem. It might be more profitable than selling computers.”
“Alright, I’ll give it a shot.”
“…….”
At such an easy answer, Lee Hyun-woo slightly raised an eyebrow.
‘No matter how easily swayed he is, isn’t this a bit much?’
So he asked,
“Hyung, aren’t you accepting my opinion too easily?”
“I’ve never suffered from following your advice. And since my father said he’d invest in me, I’m less worried about funds. Lastly, I don’t understand why you always help me so much.”
“Me?”
“You’re always giving me advice whenever you can.”
“Well… you paid my deposit before.”
“But you’ve already paid it back.”
“I can’t live with debt. Money is money, but emotional debt stays with you for life.”
The deposit that Kim Yoon-soo helped with when he first set up the office was already paid back.
He grew quickly, so there was no need to leave any debt.
But he always felt grateful to Kim Yoon-soo.
The auctions, online shopping, and even the deposit—he had received great help from him at the start.
This was why he emphasized the modem once more.
But a problem arose.
No, it’s a bit much to call it a problem.
“President Lee, my father wants to see you.”
The next morning, Kim Yoon-soo, who came to the company, said with desperate eyes.
“What?”
“It’s not about investing in you or anything like that. He said he needs your guarantee to invest in me.”
“…….”
What’s this?
Could it be that Kim Yoon-soo’s father, having seen the remarkable leap of 【Jungle】, wanted a ‘success guarantee’ in the form of Lee Hyun-woo?
“Got it. When should I visit him?”
“What? You can really come?”
“It’s not just anyone; it’s your father. Plus, if you’re going to produce modems, you’ll need funding. I have to support you.”
Anyway, 【Jungle】 currently doesn’t need external investment.
Meeting Kim Yoon-soo’s father wasn’t as burdensome as before.
On the other hand, Kim Yoon-soo scratched his head with an apologetic look.
“I feel ashamed. How useless I must be for my father to bother you?”
“No, it’s not like that.”
“Anyway, just tell me when you’re free. He wants to come to you.”
“What?”
“Is it odd? Well, security is important here.”
“Security is only an issue if someone opens the computers. No one’s going to steal them, so openness isn’t a problem, but it’s a bit unexpected.”
“That’s just how my father is.”
Kim Yoon-soo kept looking at Lee Hyun-woo apologetically.
“It’s fine. Also, you can tell him he can come anytime during my working hours.”
To Lee Hyun-woo, Kim Yoon-soo was a very special person.
Even if he had many acquaintances with conglomerate-level wealth around him, he couldn’t reset his relationship with him.
Having lived a past life, he knew well that the people who helped you in hard times are lifelong benefactors.
“Okay, got it. Oh, by the way, my father studies a lot before meeting someone.”
“You mean he investigated me?”
“Oh? No, no. Don’t take it that way… he’s just different from me.”
“Got it. I’ll understand.”
Lee Hyun-woo smiled and reassured him.
Having previously said he wanted to invest in 【Jungle】, it was clear he had done some research.
Also, seeing his son suddenly succeed must have made him curious about Lee Hyun-woo.
‘Parents are like that. I understand.’
By the way, how rich is Kim Yoon-soo’s father?
He suddenly became curious about that.
He had heard from Kim Yoon-soo before that his father was in private lending, and such people often had hidden wealth.
‘Well, it’s none of my business. Let’s erase this curiosity here.’
One thing was certain: if he said he was different from Kim Yoon-soo, he wasn’t easily swayed.
Indeed, when Lee Hyun-woo met Kim Yoon-soo’s father the next day, his first impression was that of a stubborn person.
His hooked nose and tightly shut lips added to his stern appearance.
He looked to be in his early 70s.
After being introduced by Kim Yoon-soo, Lee Hyun-woo bowed and greeted him.
“Nice to meet you, sir.”
“Yes. We finally meet.”
It was unexpected that he didn’t speak informally.
“I heard my son always causes you trouble.”
“No, I’ve received help from him. By the way, what would you like to drink?”
“Water is fine.”
“Ah, understood. Yoo Jin-young, please bring some water.”
Lee Hyun-woo asked Yoo Jin-young, who was on standby, to bring water.
Then the man revealed his name.
“My name is Kim Dong-baek.”
“Ah, yes….”
“I was originally going to be named Don-baek by my poor parents, but my grandfather said that wouldn’t do and changed ‘Don’ to ‘Dong’.”
It seemed Don-baek was a combination of ‘don’ (money) and ‘baek’ (hundred).
The intention behind revealing this was probably to emphasize the importance of money.
“Maybe because of my name, I’ve been dealing with money since we fled south during the Korean War. But money doesn’t come unless you study. Nowadays, they say you have to study computers to gather money.”
“…….”
“That’s why I put my second son in Yongsan early to sell computers.”
“Ah, yes….”
While continuing to respond the same way, Lee Hyun-woo recalled something.
‘I see, so Hyung didn’t start the business in Yongsan on his own.’
He used to say he did it on his own volition.
Who knew it would turn out to be a lie?
It must have been embarrassing to admit he was told to do it by his father.
“But my second son met a benefactor. That’s you, Lee Hyun-woo. Your ability to seize opportunities in the rapidly changing information society is unmatched, and you know where the money is. I quickly realized this and wanted to invest, but you politely declined.”
“Ah, at that time, I had already received help from your son.”
“I always told my son to pay the deposit. I told him to keep his benefactor close.”
It seemed the true benefactor was Kim Dong-baek.
Although his high praise was burdensome, Lee Hyun-woo couldn’t help but feel grateful.
But there was still a surprising revelation.
“Alright, I don’t know what modem manufacturing is, but seeing you succeed in online auctions, shopping, and portal sites, I believe this will be similar, right?”
