Since the other party wanted it, Lee Hyun-woo decided to delve into a more complicated story than before.
Before that, he repeated the task of giving assurance one more time.
“Let me reiterate, you can go and check it out. Since he’s a very honest person, you’ll find out with just a bit of conversation.”
“How do you do the auction? I’ve only heard of the internet, never actually used it.”
“Yes, I understand many people aren’t familiar with it. So, I can help you with that.”
“Oh, really?”
“Is that computer connected to the internet?”
Lee Hyun-woo pointed to a computer.
Fortunately, President Wang Bang-wool nodded.
“A staff member said they connected it to the internet or something.”
“Then I’ll upload an item and show you how the auction works right away.”
At middle age, unless one is in a relevant job, it’s hard to be familiar with the internet.
Perhaps it would be best to ask the young staff, but even that could be bothersome for some.
That’s why Lee Hyun-woo decided it would be better to upload an item himself and demonstrate how the auction works.
A moment later, Lee Hyun-woo accessed the site and, as he proceeded with the auction, asked questions and answered them.
“This is our 【Jungle】 site. Think of it as a complex electronic mall where you can buy computers, televisions, and washing machines online.”
“Didn’t you say it’s an auction?”
“That’s right. It’s an electronic mall sold online, but we introduced an auction system to attract people’s interest. Someone shouts ‘10,000 won!’ then someone else counters with ‘20,000 won!’ and the price goes up like a ping pong match. It sounds fun to watch, doesn’t it?”
Lee Hyun-woo’s way of speaking was excellent.
Adjusting the pitch of his voice in between, the middle-aged man, President Wang Bang-wool, quickly nodded.
“Instead of calling out with your voice on the internet, you type in numbers on this keyboard to raise the auction price. Since you can’t read the other person’s expression, it makes you more anxious. Towards the end, the price skyrockets in the last few minutes. President Kim Yoon-soo of 【Won PC】 even once held back from going to the bathroom to watch it.”
“Haha… It sounds fun.”
“By the way, is it okay to upload something here? It’s unlikely that there won’t be any bids, but just in case.”
“It sounds fun, so let’s upload something.”
“What should we upload? A TV?”
“Shall we?”
“What size is good?”
“24 inches is the most common.”
“Then I’ll upload that. I need to fill in some information, is it just a CRT TV?”
“There’s both, but also fully flat ones…”
“At first, simple is better. People like cheap stuff.”
“Let’s do that then.”
“Among the reasons for return, there are no quality issues, right?”
“Absolutely. We don’t handle those. Only items unboxed due to customer change of mind or ones with scratches that don’t affect broadcasting.”
Seeing the conversation getting lively, it was clear they were already immersed.
“Does it get delivered?”
“Of course.”
“Okay, delivery available. What about after-sales service?”
“2 years from the manufacturer.”
“2 years is good. Lastly, how will you set the price? Keep in mind, since it’s an auction, I can’t predict how high it will go. Last time, a computer started at 800,000 won and sold for at least 1.2 million to 1.3 million won.”
“Wow, that much…”
“But as I mentioned, users don’t come to the site to buy expensive items. Since we’ve already mentioned it’s a returned item, a reasonable price will make the auction smoother.”
“Then, should we start at 50,000 won?”
“Wow, that’s cheap. Almost at cost?”
“We need to make at least 10,000 won in profit.”
“I see. By the way, there’s a 2.5% fee. This is taken from the profit. If you list it for 50,000 won and it sells for 50,000 won, there’s no fee. But if it sells for more, the fee applies.”
“2.5%…”
“If it sells at the listed price, there’s no fee. However, if you make even 10,000 won more, say it sells for 51,000 won, 2.5% of the profit would be 25 won.”
People are always quick to jump at making money but hesitate when it comes to losing it.
It was a natural phenomenon, so it was better to mention a very small amount.
‘I hope he’s not stingy enough to worry about 25 won.’
Now, he had to wait for the other party’s decision, and as expected, President Wang Bang-wool nodded, seemingly calculating in his mind.
“Alright. Let’s do it. Let’s consider it a loss.”
He was a shrewder businessman than Kim Yoon-soo.
He subtly indicated that the item was bought for 40,000 won and listed it for 50,000 won, yet claimed it was a loss?
‘I can’t believe he doesn’t consider a 10,000 won profit as a gain.’
Anyway, after uploading the item to the auction site, Lee Hyun-woo stood up and said:
“It’s done. While I’d like to say it’s easy, it might be difficult for those not familiar with computers.”
“Well… that’s true.”
“So, I’ll write down the steps for you. If you really can’t do it, you can ask a young staff member to help. The auction period is one week, so you’ll know the final price next Wednesday. If you have any questions, contact me using the number provided.”
“Oh… okay.”
President Wang Bang-wool was already fixated on the auction site.
Of course, if you’re not familiar with computers, you wouldn’t know what’s what, but interest and curiosity always stimulate the desire to learn.
‘That’s how Space Craft enlightened many computer illiterates.’
Thinking of the nostalgic game, Lee Hyun-woo stepped outside.
Come to think of it, it might take about two years for Space Craft to be released.
Lee Hyun-woo didn’t play that game much.
But since his younger brother liked it a lot, he occasionally played a few times.
Back then, Lee Jung-woo was almost a game addict.
Even now, before starting this business, he stayed up all night playing games, and when Lee Hyun-woo entered, he complained of withdrawal symptoms.
“Ah… I’m dying to play War Craft.”
“Save up your part-time pay and buy another computer.”
“Can’t you just buy it for me? After all, we’re using my computer for the business.”
“Okay, I’ll buy it for you. Once we make more money.”
It felt like he was having the same conversation with his son from a past life.
Fortunately, now he was so engrossed in the business that he could quickly change the subject from games.
“By the way, I just uploaded a TV.”
“What? Really?”
His brother asked back in surprise, and Jang Yoo-chul checked the website from the side.
Lee Hyun-woo nodded with a smile.
“Why would I lie? I went out and brought in another company. Yoo-chul, can you check it?”
“I’m looking at it now. Wow, it’s true. The one you just uploaded is listed for 50,000 won, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“It’s from 【Sangil Trading】.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“But items keep coming up. TV, refrigerator, washing machine, CD player…”
This time, Lee Hyun-woo couldn’t help but ask in surprise.
“What? From the same place?”
“Yes, it seems they got excited as the TV started getting bids.”
It seemed they made a quicker judgment than Lee Hyun-woo expected.
Honestly, it wasn’t a bad thing.
No, it was an exceedingly smooth development.
He didn’t think it was too fast.
On the contrary, having experienced the speed of 5G in his previous life, Lee Hyun-woo felt frustrated at the slow growth of website users.
Meanwhile, his brother and Jang Yoo-chul had completely different reactions.
“Hyung, at this rate, we might become rich.”
“With the tuition fees being a burden, can I just not go back to school and continue working?”
It made him realize once again that time is relative.
‘If the website had gained popularity too quickly, competitors with capital and technology would have emerged, right?’
Already, the internet auction site 【eBase】 appeared in the U.S. last year.
It’s riding a wave of sensational popularity, but domestic conglomerates still seem to think it’s too early.
In fact, large companies are always cautious.
They can’t start a business with failure in mind.
On the other hand, emerging tech companies consisted of young people who could rise again even if they failed.
Especially, Lee Hyun-woo doesn’t even consider the possibility of failure.
It’s already a proven business model, just waiting for it to take off.
Fortunately, the business was sailing smoothly, albeit not at a completely satisfying level.
If it continues this way, wouldn’t he be able to justify his decision to forgo employment and choose business soon?
Another week passed.
In Lee Jung-woo’s room at the headquarters of 【Jungle】, set up due to lack of funds, a warm atmosphere prevailed.
The reason was simple.
“Hyung, the president of 【Sangil Trading】 is uploading a lot, trying to make money from this.”
“【Won PC】 is no joke either.”
“With auctions continuously coming from both places, I feel… what should I say? A sense of stability?”
“Right. I feel reassured too. Both places are continuously holding auctions and providing us with fees.”
Their conversation indicated positive signals for the business.
Lee Hyun-woo began summarizing with a smile.
“That’s why securing items from companies rather than individuals was important. Although we’re still lacking, if we expand to a few more places, we can have a bit more leeway.”
“You’re looking at bigger things now. No matter how I think about it, our hyung is really amazing.”
“Right. You really are amazing.”
The two raised their thumbs toward Lee Hyun-woo.
Lee Hyun-woo said they needed to secure a few more stable companies, but in their eyes, 【Jungle】 seemed to have boarded a virtuous cycle train.
Naturally, Lee Jung-woo continued to speak with a voice full of pride.
“Now, even without separate promotions, our story is spreading across PC communications.”
“Not just PC communications. Yesterday, friends from another department asked me how they knew about it. They inquired about how to auction on 【Jungle】.”
“That means word of mouth has spread.”
“Of course. That’s why the number of users is exploding.”
“Right. And as the users increase, various items are being uploaded…”
“Which then generates fees and increases our income.”
The virtuous cycle Lee Hyun-woo had thought of earlier was coming out of their mouths.
In reality, they had already exceeded 1 million won in fees per week.
With a green light on, Lee Jung-woo couldn’t stop his excitement.
“Hyung, soon we’ll be able to repay all the money we borrowed from Dad, right?”
“Not yet. We need to increase the servers.”
“Ah… right?”
Though it’s manageable now, servers always need to be prepared in advance.
Especially with PC servers, not mid-sized ones.
“Hyung, at this rate, we might need to get a mid-sized server. It’ll help keep the website stable for a while.”
“Then should we save up a bit more and get a mid-sized server?”
“But we can’t make one ourselves yet, right?”
“I know. We’ll have to talk to President Kim Yoon-soo for a cheap purchase.”
Buying from President Kim Yoon-soo was the most beneficial for PC-related matters, including servers.
Although he might not make a big profit, he was earning much more money through the 【Jungle】 site.
However, there was a sign of a variable emerging in Kim Yoon-soo’s peaceful business.
Finally, a competitor to 【Won PC】 appeared.
The company was called 【Strawberry PC】.
And this place listed computers with the same specifications and the same price as 【Won PC】,
“Wow, competition is starting.”
In fact, it was a positive development in terms of the expansion of companies that Lee Hyun-woo had hoped for.
“It’s a desirable phenomenon.”
So, naturally, a bright voice flowed out.
