The Magician’s Memorial - Chapter 215



Only Krnovel

215. Unilateral benefit (4)

Thinkwin Chairman Park Tae-soo is reluctant to sell his company.

Taewoo Group needs navigation technology.

There was a point where compromise was possible, and there was a way for both sides to benefit.

“Then how about doing it this way? I will only purchase the technology and experience accumulated so far at Thinkwin.”

“Are you saying you want to purchase technology and data? … If Taewo Group releases a navigation system using our company’s technology and data, Thinkwin will go out of business.”

“We will not make car navigation systems. We promise to only enter the mobile phone navigation market.”

It didn’t matter who owned the car navigation market.

What I wanted was navigation technology and the data that would be accumulated in the future.

Data could be accumulated even without a car navigation system, and as the number of smartphone users increased, more data could be accumulated through mobile phone navigation systems.

“When you say navigation for mobile phones, are you referring to the service launched by KS Communications last year?”

“We are planning to launch a similar, but slightly better service. Again, we are not interested in car navigation at all. We plan to focus only on mobile phone navigation.”

Our competitor is not Thinkwin.

Rather, KS Communications, which launched a car navigation service, is our competitor.

A conversation was encouraged to instill these thoughts, and Chairman Park Tae-soo’s expression gradually changed.

“That said, even if mobile phone navigation is released, won’t the car navigation market decrease?”

“We will register Thinkwin as the primary partner of Taewoo Motors and Kai Motors. And we will include Thinkwin’s navigation as an optional option.”

Of course, promotions had a big impact on product sales.

It was no different from offering to promote Thinkwin’s navigation through Taewoo Motors and Kai Motors, and of course, it was also an offer that would greatly increase Thinkwin’s sales.

“Are you really willing to do that? We are very grateful for the offer, but wouldn’t it be too burdensome for Taewoo Motors?”

“Adding it to the selection option also means that it is a product guaranteed by our Taewoo Group. As long as Thinkwin does not deliver navigation systems with defects, it will not be omitted from the selection option.”

“If it’s a quality issue, don’t worry! If a defective product comes out, we can take it back and provide a refund or exchange.”

“Instead, we would like to have exclusive access to the technology and data.”

“Of course we have to do that. If we receive an offer from another automaker, we will definitely discuss it with the vice president.”

With a few promotional offers, 50 billion won was saved.

Registering the Thinkwin product as an optional option does not cost you any money, so you could say that you got what you wanted without paying a penny.

Even at Thinkwin, the conditions were never bad.

If it is designated as Taewo Group’s primary company, the value of the company will increase.

If listed on the KOSDAQ market, the market capitalization could have risen to more than 100 billion won.

* * *

Thinkwin kept its promise.

We shared all the technology and data we had, and provided all of that information to Cheon Min-jeong.

“Will this level of technology and data be helpful? I received it from Korea’s No. 1 navigation company.”

“It’s not bad, but there are quite a few things that need improvement.”

“How long will it take to make the first improvement so that navigation can be used on smartphones?”

“The period varies depending on the desired function. Vice President, please tell me what you think are the essential functions.”

Still, it was a navigation system released by Taewo Group.

There was a need to add technology that was superior to and differentiated from other companies’ products.

“First of all, I hope real-time traffic information is reflected. Furthermore, I hope it includes a function that allows you to bypass congested roads.”

“It is possible, but it can only be made if difficult conditions are met.”

“What are the conditions?”

“We need to have customers using the smartphone navigation system we created on roads across the country to reflect real-time traffic information.”

“That won’t be a problem. Taewoo Telecommunications is Korea’s No. 1 telecommunications company. And it is also the telecommunications company with the largest number of smartphone users.”

Real-time information was ultimately information that had to be obtained through users.

The more users there were, the more diverse and detailed information could be obtained.

“It’s not that difficult to create that function. All you have to do is analyze and transmit information through an algorithm.”

“And I hope it includes a voice recognition feature. If you move your hands while driving, it could cause an accident.”

“The voice recognition function has already been created, so all you have to do is apply it.”

“And it would be nice to be able to know the estimated time of arrival based on real-time information.”

“It’s not difficult either.”

“It would also be nice to include fuel price information. Wouldn’t customers like it if prices for each gas station were updated daily?”

“……I’ll include that feature as well.”

Did I ask for too much?

No matter how early the version was, it had to have this level of functionality to be released under Taew’s name.

“How long can this be possible?”

“I have a project I’m currently working on, so it’s difficult to finish it in a short period of time. Even if I make it with my team, it takes at least a month.”

“Wouldn’t it only take a month?”

“If I had enough time, I could make it within a week, but I can’t. I will definitely try to complete it within a month. But even if it is completed, if there aren’t many users, the accuracy will inevitably drop.”

“I will take responsibility for the problem of securing users. I will try to secure more users than Minjeong Cheon thinks.”

We parted ways, giving each other homework.

I went up to the vice president’s office and called Taewoo Telecommunications CEO Lee Joo-young.

I told him about the navigation app for smartphones, and since he already knew about the navigation service provided by KS Telecom, a long explanation was not necessary.

“Are you saying that we will also release a navigation app exclusively for mobile phones provided by KS Telecom?”

“Since this is a service launched under Taewoo’s name, shouldn’t it be better than KS Telecom’s service? It will include various functions such as real-time information on congested roads, detour road guidance, and voice recognition services. Development is in progress, and Daum “It could be released in a month.”

“As expected, you are the vice president. I too was thinking that Taewoong Communications needed a navigation service. As expected, the vice president was developing it first!”

It was CEO Lee Joo-young who mistakenly thought I had been developing a navigation service for a long time.

Since development started today, it is true that it is under development, so I moved on without further explanation.

“We need to collect real-time customer information and provide higher service. So it is urgent to secure as many customers as possible.”

“It’s not that there is no way. If we provide free services to customers who use Taewo Telecommunications like KS Telecom, we can quickly secure customers.”

Only KS Telecom users could use KS navigation.

This was a natural policy to attract telecommunications company customers, and this policy had to be implemented even considering data costs.

“Let’s provide free navigation services to all customers with smartphones. Regardless of whether they are Taewo Telecom or KS Telecom, we will provide it for free.”

“If the performance of the navigation system we are currently making is better than that of KS Telecom, is there any need for it? Wouldn’t there be customers who will switch carriers even just because of the performance of the navigation system?”

“Are you saying we want to make it available for free only to Taewoo Telecommunications customers?”

“Yes, if all telco customers can use it for free, it will be difficult to cover the cost of data.”

The position of president was a contract position.

President Lee Joo-young reacted sensitively because the contract could have been terminated if the affiliate’s sales decreased or if it suffered a loss.

“Data costs used by customers other than Taewoo Communications will be borne by Taewoo IT.”

“Is there really a reason to increase the number of users like that?”

“When the quality of KS Telecom’s navigation service is poor, we need to attract as many customers as possible, but we can significantly increase our market share.”

A continuation of the virtuous cycle.

The more users there are, the more data can be secured.

Only with a lot of data was it possible to provide quality service.

Therefore, we had to aggressively secure customers even if we suffered some losses right now.

“Okay, let’s plan to secure as many customers as possible.”

“Public relations should be carried out jointly by Taewoo Communications and the group planning office.”

Near the end of the conversation with President Jooyoung Lee.

Jump up! The door to the vice president’s office opened.

There was only one person in the group who could open the door without knocking.

“Chairman, what are you doing here? If you had contacted me, I would have come up.”

“When you have the strength to walk, shouldn’t you walk hard? By the way, President Lee’s face has improved a lot. After all, for executives, the company’s sales are their health food. With Taewoo Telecom’s sales going well, President Lee’s face looks 10 years younger.”

“Thank you, Chairman. I’ll just head out now!”

President Lee Joo-young fell flat on his face and left the vice-chairman’s office.

Only then did I greet my grandfather in a somewhat more comfortable position.

“What’s wrong?”

“I just came because I wanted to see my grandson’s face. If you have time, would you like to take a walk with me for a while?”

“If I don’t have time to go for a walk with my grandfather, I’ll have to quit work. I’ll get ready now.”

Something was unusual.

A grandfather who never came by unexpectedly during work hours.

It was clear that he suggested a walk because he had some kind of agenda.

For now, I pretended not to notice and came out of the headquarters building.

My grandfather walked to Seoul Station, across from the headquarters.

“Isn’t it amazing? When you arrive in Seoul, the first building you see is the Taewoo Group headquarters.”

“The location selection was excellent. Isn’t the Taewo Group headquarters the building that symbolizes Seoul?”

“It used to be like that. Now it’s too old. There are too many big buildings around it for it to be a symbol of Seoul.”

He was an old man who seemed to be reminiscing.

But I sensed greed in my grandfather’s eyes.

Since we had been together for almost 60 years both before his return and in this life, I was able to understand what my grandfather was feeling just by looking in his eyes.

“Do you by any chance want to move the headquarters?”

“They say they are the No. 1 business group, but how can employees feel proud if they work in a building that is worse than other groups?”

“Pride doesn’t come from buildings, right? Higher salaries and welfare benefits than other companies create pride.”

“You old guy! Now you’re teaching me everything.”

I finally found out about my grandfather’s plan.

He was greedy for the new headquarters.

It was clear that they wanted to use the largest building in Korea as their new headquarters.