The slight silence proved the surprise of Tim Connor’s team.
(A few minutes, you say?)
“Theoretically, it takes less than a minute. However, in reality, it usually takes more than a minute. Reducing that will be another task.”
(I see…)
Listening to the stammering voice on the other end, Lee Hyun-woo thought,
‘They must be envious.’
This is how important ultra-fast internet infrastructure is.
Once installed, it could turn imagined possibilities into reality.
Of course, there was still a long way to go.
Even after commercializing it, despite the best efforts of 【Dae-Han Electric】, there were still many areas in Seoul where it didn’t work.
Instead, 【Dae-Han Telecom】 had completed testing and was about to launch the service soon, and 【Samjin Computer】 was preparing for testing in collaboration with cable broadcasters.
By early next year, thanks to these three-way efforts, ultra-fast internet networks would be installed not only in Seoul and the metropolitan area but across the country.
Apparently, Lee Hyun-woo wasn’t the only one eager to see this.
(To discuss the details of business cooperation, we plan to send a few of our technicians to Korea.)
Tim Connor, still in awe, said they would send people.
This was also scheduled for early next year, so even after the trip to Jeju Island, a series of tasks were lined up.
‘For that reason alone, I need to enjoy the Jeju Island trip to the fullest.’
After hanging up, Lee Hyun-woo once again imagined himself in Jeju Island.
It was clearly a workshop, but it felt like a vacation rather than work.
Even though his current self was noticeably different from his past life, no one could recognize this difference.
Instead, upon announcing the visit from 【AltaViste】 during the meeting later, everyone made such comments.
“Work is piling up with no breathing room.”
“Is next year already booked with busy schedules?”
“Even the waiting list is no joke. Cloud, Japan, the U.S., Taiwan, and Hong Kong.”
“Oh, Team Leader Kang has already started work on Taiwan and Hong Kong, right?”
“Yes, since Japan has 【Software Bank】 and the U.S. has 【AltaViste】 to partner with, but those two places have nothing, so we need to prepare in advance. We’re starting with market research.”
“Busy, busy.”
“Exactly!”
Lee Hyun-woo finally chimed in, raising his voice a notch.
“During this Jeju Island workshop, don’t just discuss work. Take some time to relax and refresh your minds. Understood?”
“Yes, CEO!”
“Yes, we’ll do that!”
Work hard when working, and play hard when playing!
This was the corporate culture Lee Hyun-woo desired for 【Jungle】.
A few days later, Lee Hyun-woo and about 50 employees arrived at Gimpo Airport.
It was for the scheduled Jeju Island workshop.
While all the team leaders were busily preparing to board the plane, only Lee Hyun-woo was held up by Kim Ah-young.
To be precise, he had an unexpected encounter with Kim Ah-young, who wasn’t expected to be at the airport, and they started chatting.
“If you had planned to go to Jeju Island too, you should have told me in advance.”
“I wanted to surprise you. Besides, would it have made any difference if I told you earlier?”
“Huh? Well, maybe just mentally preparing?”
Lee Hyun-woo, with a gentle smile, made a playful remark.
What kind of mental preparation would be needed to go to Kim Ah-young’s hotel?
But Kim Ah-young’s eyes sparkled at Lee Hyun-woo’s words.
“Mental preparation, you say? Well then, does that mean you can spare time in Jeju Island?”
“Time?”
“Yes, it seems we may have some time to spend together. You’ll be staying there for five days and four nights, correct?”
The employees of Jungle were split into two groups.
About half left on December 26th, today, and returned on the 28th.
The other half left on the 28th and returned on the 30th.
As the CEO, Lee Hyun-woo stayed in Jeju Island throughout that period.
Since it included the weekend, he boldly declared a holiday from December 31st to January 2nd.
Of course, there would be some on duty, but holidays were generally good for people.
“Do you want me to hang out with you for five days and four nights?”
“Isn’t it part of your philosophy to enjoy life after work? Since Jeju Island is my home ground, I’d be happy to show you around. What do you think?”
“If that’s the case, I should accept gratefully.”
Lee Hyun-woo nodded and smiled.
It seemed like this life was progressing smoothly, thanks to knowing a wealthy friend.
However, there was something that pricked his senses.
‘Does Ah-young possibly like me?’
He thought it was possible.
Why?
Occasionally, when talking to Kim Ah-young, he noticed that it was hard for men to approach her.
‘We’ve spent quite a bit of time together by chance. So, there weren’t any other men to particularly win her favor.’
Even now, they couldn’t have a long private conversation.
Several bodyguards were positioned nearby, and the closest person was her secretary.
“Director, it’s time to board.”
From this voice, Lee Hyun-woo felt that the middle-aged female secretary was somehow wary of him.
‘That makes sense. But the person to be more cautious of is one of the bodyguards over there.’
Seeing one of the bodyguards behind Kim Ah-young, who had been her spouse in a previous life, brought a playful smile to Lee Hyun-woo’s face.
“Go ahead. You’re in first class, right?”
“Well… yeah…”
“Should I swap seats for you?”
At that moment, a guy named Oh Min-woo suddenly popped up and continued the conversation with a cheeky smile.
“Riding in first class has been a lifelong dream of mine. By the way, I’m sitting next to the CEO.”
“Really? Would you do that for me?”
“Of course. But you’re not going to charge me extra, are you?”
“Of course not.”
“D-Direc…tor…”
Seeing the middle-aged female secretary flustered brought another amused smile to Lee Hyun-woo’s face.
Then, after taking Kim Ah-young aside and seemingly persuading her, the middle-aged female secretary eventually looked resigned.
Instead, as if finding a compromise, Kim Ah-young asked Lee Hyun-woo,
“Is there anyone else interested in flying first class? Our secretary is also looking to switch seats.”
“Well…”
“I’ll swap seats.”
This time, Lee Jung-woo, his younger brother, stepped up.
With an embarrassed look, he said,
“Riding in first class has been a lifelong dream of mine too.”
Seeing the delighted faces of Oh Min-woo and Lee Jung-woo, Lee Hyun-woo smacked his lips and made a resolution.
‘Our company needs to grow bigger. Next time, I want to put all the executives in first class.’
Finally, they boarded the plane.
Before sitting down, Lee Hyun-woo asked Kim Ah-young,
“Do you want the window seat?”
“That’s up to you.”
“Then I’ll take the window seat.”
“Okay.”
Lee Hyun-woo wanted to see the wide sky.
Of course, he could have given up the seat if Kim Ah-young wanted it, but since he was given the choice, he went in and sat down first.
“Ahem, ahem.”
A cough was heard from behind.
It was from the middle-aged female secretary.
‘Is she here to monitor?’
Today, Lee Hyun-woo’s face didn’t lose its smile.
But the same went for Kim Ah-young.
Having a favorable impression of someone and sitting next to Lee Hyun-woo on the way to Jeju Island was a feeling that no adjective could describe.
What was bothersome was the presence of Secretary Park Min-sook and the bodyguards in the back seats, as well as the bodyguard in their aisle seat.
It was as if they wanted to hear every conversation between Lee Hyun-woo and Kim Ah-young.
It seemed they had rearranged the seats for this purpose.
“I’m sorry about this. It looks like our security team asked you to give up your good seats.”
“There’s no such thing as good or bad seats in economy class, and you said you’d treat our employees to something big later.”
Actually, due to the inconvenience caused, Kim Ah-young had decided to cover the breakfast costs for the 5-day, 4-night stay at the Seorabeol Hotel in Jeju Island.
It was an excessive compensation, but Lee Hyun-woo didn’t stop her.
‘Korean chaebol heirs should practice generosity.’
Of course, there is no such thing as a free lunch.
‘Since we’re getting something, we’re providing an opportunity.’
“This time, you’ve been so generous that I’ll have to use 【Seorabeol Hotel】 every time I go to Jeju Island. By the way, I have something to tell you quietly.”
“Pardon? What’s going on?”
“Just a moment.”
Lee Hyun-woo rummaged through his bag and pulled out something.
It was an MP3 player he received from 【Alpha Cast】 recently.
“What is this?”
“Just wait a moment.”
Lee Hyun-woo put the rightside earphone in his ear and put the other side in Kim Ah-young’s ear.
“Ahem, ahem.”
A cough was heard from behind again.
The middle-aged female secretary seemed displeased with everything.
But Lee Hyun-woo didn’t care about that.
As soon as he pressed the play button, a pop song by Celine Dion, which had been topping the Billboard charts this year, started playing in Lee Hyun-woo’s right ear.
Naturally, the song also filled Kim Ah-young’s left ear.
“Wow, what’s in this? Is it an MP3 file?”
“That’s right.”
“So, is this the MP3 player you mentioned before?”
“Yes, it is.”
Lee Hyun-woo had casually mentioned the MP3 player to Kim Ah-young before.
At the time, she seemed to take it lightly, but now her eyes sparkled with curiosity.
She didn’t immediately express that curiosity.
Instead, she closed her eyes and hummed along.
Quietly singing along to Celine Dion’s song.
‘She sings better than I thought.’
Was it one of her favorite songs?
Suddenly, Lee Hyun-woo felt the urge to go to a karaoke room with Kim Ah-young.
In fact, it was something he could do anytime.
In the basement of the building where 【Jungle Soft】 was located, there was a fully equipped karaoke machine.
Without realizing it, he began to envision a scenario.
Imagining his eardrums being blessed by Kim Ah-young’s beautiful voice singing a pop song.
‘Did I imagine too much?’
Realizing he had envisioned a scene where they were like a couple, Lee Hyun-woo snapped back to reality.
Just then, the next song started playing, and Kim Ah-young began asking questions.
“How many songs are in here?”
“Eight songs?”
“That’s almost a CD’s worth.”
“Yes, that’s right. But I think by mid-next year, they’ll make MP3 players that can hold 16 songs.”
Actually, it was a matter of memory capacity.
No matter how hard they tried, they could only make a 32MB MP3 player for now.
“The company that produces it is 【Alpha Cast】, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it’s not a big company, just one that makes car stereos.”
“Is it solid?”
“I’d like it to be, but it’s still small. But if this becomes a hit, it might become a global company.”
“A hit? Oh, you mean it’s going to be very successful?”
“Yes, that’s right. And I truly believe this company will be very successful. That’s why I’ve invested in it.”
“Then I’d like to invest as well.”
“Huh?”
“Is it not possible?”
“Well, it’s not up to me to permit it. They have to accept it.”
In reality, there was more than a 120% chance they would accept it.
And capital always spurs rapid development and growth.
‘She’s wealthier than I am, so she could invest even more.’
Kim Ah-young’s generosity was something to be acknowledged.
Not only did she offer to cover the hotel breakfast costs, but she was also likely the person who bought all the songs from 【Jungle Music】 before.
Lee Hyun-woo tested the waters.
“I hope you invest a lot so 【Alpha Cast】 can quickly develop an MP3 player that can hold hundreds of songs. That way, you can download and listen to the songs you’ve bought.”
“……”
At these words, Kim Ah-young’s eyes wavered.
