The Magician’s Memorial - Chapter 159



Only Krnovel

Episode 159 Madness. (3)

Steve was nothing short of a god in the IT industry.

Especially after the iPhone became a huge success, the number of people praising him increased, and CEO Lim Jae-beom was no different.

“Do you really think I look like Steve?”

“It looks like you don’t believe it. Then I will make you believe it.”

I took out my cell phone and called Steve.

It was rude to call without an appointment, but it was entirely possible for Steve and me.

[What’s going on at this time? If you’re calling because of the TV, don’t worry too much because I’m taking care of it myself.]

“Of course I’m doing it without any worries. “I contacted you because I thought I might be going to the U.S. soon.”

[I’ll leave the whole day blank.]

“Can I bring a Korean friend with me? “There is someone who seems to communicate well with Steve.”

[Any friend of yours is always welcome. If you are next to me, please change it for me.]

I handed the cell phone to CEO Lim Jae-beom.

They exchanged simple greetings, but CEO Lim Jae-beom was so moved that he even had tears in his eyes.

“As I said to Steve, the next time you go to America, let’s visit Apple headquarters together.”

“Is that really okay? “Are you sure I can actually see Steve?”

“Before that, I want to hear the answer to the suggestion I made.”

“I will join you unconditionally. … … But is it possible for my employees to succeed? “These are juniors who believed in me and followed me.”

“This is something I would like to ask you to do. “I promise you the highest salary in the industry.”

“Then I will stamp the contract right now!”

I quickly took out the contract I had prepared.

Still, CEO Lim Jae-beom checked the contract meticulously, probably because he was the CEO of the company, and after confirming that there were no problems with the contract, he made a decision.

“Now that I’ve stamped the contract, I’ll tell you what project I’m planning on doing.”

“Are you creating a program for the iPhone?”

“We want to create an app that can be used on all smartphones, not just the iPhone. Have you ever heard of a messenger app?”

“Are you talking about a site that provides chat services?”

“We are planning to create a messenger app that is similar to but completely different from MSN provided by Microsoft.”

It was a time when PC messengers had not yet been properly developed.

Although Microsoft started MSN in 1999, it was not that popular in Korea.

In the near future, various types of messenger programs were scheduled to be developed by KS Telecom, starting with the development of a messenger for PC.

So now was the right time.

We planned to monopolize the market by developing not only a messenger app for PC but also a messenger app for smartphones at the same time.

“MSN Messenger can only be run on PC. I know it well because I use it myself.”

“We will create a messenger program that can be used on both PC and smartphone at the same time. This is a market that no one has attempted yet. “Once smartphones become popular, it is a huge market that everyone will use.”

“I still have a few ideas in mind. “I wrote down the shortcomings I felt while using MSN Messenger.”

As expected, CEO Jaebeom Lim was very interested in messengers.

So, it would have been possible to create a messenger app like CocoaTalk.

“Then you can start right now. Please create a messenger app by combining the ideas I came up with and the ideas the CEO came up with. ah! “What office are you using now?”

“I am renting a small office in Gangbuk.”

“Gangbuk is a bit far. “We will set up the entire building right next to Taewo IT as an office.”

“You mean the whole building? “I have only five employees.”

“It will grow a lot in the future, so it’s a good idea to find a large office in advance. And about 50 employees from Taewoo IT will be dispatched. “Shouldn’t there be a place for them to stay?”

CEO Lim Jae-beom was shocked.

Did I put too much money into it?

This is the job of the vice president of a large company, so shouldn’t it be on this scale?

***

I even had lunch with CEO Jaebeom Lim and quickly returned to the company.

This was because there was one more person they needed to meet in order to monopolize the smartphone app market.

“Nice to meet you. “This is Seo Moon-young, CEO of Haduri.”

The next guest was Seo Moon-young, CEO of Korea’s first video chat service.

Haduri was launched in 1999 and is now extremely popular.

However, after the launch of Say World, its popularity plummeted, and due to the lack of management, Haduri was a service that was neglected by the public.

“I am sorry for contacting you suddenly.”

“Honestly, it was a little uncomfortable.”

CEO Seo Moon-young’s shoulders were up.

Since Haduri was showing tremendous growth every year, I couldn’t help but be filled with confidence.

However, contrary to the confidence that had built up, CEO Seo Moon-young’s face was full of worry.

Haduri was already experiencing various problems due to neglect of management, and legal issues were also emerging.

“I will give you a good offer as much as it is inconvenient. We will provide all support at the Taewoo Group level for any problems you are experiencing. This includes everything from legal issues to management issues.”

“You’re not saying you’ll take over Haduri in return, are you?”

“I have absolutely no interest in acquiring Haduri, nor even in his shares. “I would like to propose that we just form a joint venture and create a new program.”

It was Haduri who would end up on the path to hell.

Nevertheless, there was another reason why I was interested in Haduri’s service.

When the SNS era came, SNS platforms based on short videos were destined to become popular.

Short-form video SNS such as TikTok or Shorts.

These were services that Haduri was already providing before short-form SNS became popular around the world.

But should we say that Haduri was too ahead of his time?

Or should we say that we failed to adapt to the trends of the times?

Because it was a service provided only for PCs, there were limits to its growth, and it had no choice but to go down the abyss.

But what if you join hands with me and dominate the short-form SNS market?

It was clear that it would be able to divide the SNS market together with Facebook.

“Thank you for the offer, but I don’t have enough time to focus on Haduri right now. “Problems are popping up everywhere, so there’s no time to worry about anything else.”

“Can I be honest with you?”

“of course.”

“It is safe to say that Haduri is a service that has already reached the end of its lifespan. “The image has become so bad that recovery is impossible.”

CEO Seo Moon-young’s face distorted at once.

How can you tolerate it when you are disparaging the product you made?

“Your words are harsh. Currently, the number of subscribers has exceeded 5 million, and we expect to have 10 million subscribers next year and 20 million the year after. “I cannot accept the statement that recovery is impossible.”

“I think so too. But does this problem end just because the number of subscribers increases? In the United States and Europe, Haduri is already recognized as a pornographic video production program.”

“… … “We are trying to prevent that problem as much as possible.”

Haruri’s advantage was easy access.

That was also a drawback.

Because it was easy to use, anyone could produce and distribute videos, and pornographic videos were also being distributed indiscriminately.

“It takes several times more effort to change an image once established. And even if the image is restored, the problem remains. Nowadays, Haduri is gaining popularity because webcams are simpler to operate than digital cameras, but what will happen when cell phone cameras develop?”

“I find it unpleasant to hear any more. “Are you calling me to give me permission to go?”

It was CEO Seo Moon-young, who was angry but did not get up from his seat.

If what I was saying was nonsense, I would have gotten up from my seat a long time ago.

However, everything I said was probably a problem that CEO Seo Moon-young was also aware of.

“I would like to propose a completely new life by joining hands with Taewoo Group.”

“Are you saying this because you know how much effort I put into raising Haduri to his current position? “It was created by investing money, time, and manpower.”

“Of course I know. Therefore, Taewo Group will support the initial money and time along with sufficient compensation.”

Although it is said that there are over 5 million subscribers.

Haduri was not making a lot of money because there was no proper profit structure.

However, the moment we joined hands with the large conglomerate Taewoo Group, we were able to create a variety of profit structures, including advertising.

“… … Are you saying we should stop Haduri service right now?”

“That’s not it. If you wish, you can continue the Haduri service as long as you like. Taewo Group can also provide financial and manpower support. All you have to do is prepare a new service at the same time as the Haduri service.”

“Give me time. “There are too many issues to think about before making a decision right now.”

If it had been before, I would have given it time.

We couldn’t do that because we had a record of losing Sayworld to KS Telecom.

If I send him back to the company like this, it’s clear that KS Telecom will come straight to him with a contract.

“5 billion won as down payment. And we promise to provide succession of employment to all employees. And I will give you a 20% stake in the new joint venture. “It’s not that we will take over Haduri Service, but these are rewards just for starting a project together.”

“No matter how much I think about it, I don’t understand why you are suggesting this to me. I would understand if you were trying to take over Haduri Service, but that’s not it… … .”

The same repertoire came out.

This is why presenting too good conditions only raises unnecessary suspicion.

“This is a condition of signing the contract right now. You can call a lawyer here now, or you can call an acquaintance to discuss. “As long as you don’t leave the Taewo Group headquarters building, you can worry as much as you want.”

“You are too harsh. Then, let’s call some company executives and discuss it.”

A conference room was provided for CEO Seo Moon-young.

He called several company employees and even a lawyer to review the proposal for over three hours before coming back to see me.

“The lawyer said it was a proposal that would not cause any harm to me or the company. “Taewoo Electronics said the contract was so unfavorable that they could just take the money and ignore it.”

“So are you planning on doing that?”

“I couldn’t do that, even if it meant thinking about the employees. The employees also expected Haduri’s lifespan to be about five years at most. However, with Taewoo Electronics, you get a lifetime job, not just 5 years… … “I decided to accept the offer out of consideration for my employees.”

This is why the leader had to worry a lot.

The head of the household had to worry about his family, and the CEO of the company had to worry about his employees.

Of course, there were many company CEOs who did not do that, but CEO Seo Moon-young was a CEO who cared about his employees.

“Then shall we each sign the contract?”

“I will take the picture first.”

CEO Seo Moon-young interfered with the contract.

With this, I have secured a new SNS service.