Spartan Training
As confirmed during the giant-killer programmer recruitment fiasco, it was clear that simply posting job openings in Korea would never attract top talent. This only strengthened Yoo Jae-won's resolve to cultivate his own people who could become the sturdy pillars of ID Technology. He had already assessed the children's character; now it was time to nurture their abilities. Computers remained expensive, so he decided to make use of the school's machines. After classes, Yoo Jae-won would spend one or two hours teaching his friends how to use them. Even if they never joined ID Technology, solid computer skills would prove invaluable in university and later in society. As an added measure, he planned to create an advanced class for students who showed particular aptitude, calling it the "intensive training group."
No teacher or student doubted Yoo Jae-won's computer expertise. Their eyes sparkled with anticipation, and it seemed everyone wanted to join. They were mistaken. Casual computer club activities might be relaxed, but the intensive group would be anything but. They were about to learn exactly what Spartan training meant.
March was drawing to a close. Everything was proceeding smoothly. Occasional late-winter cold snaps made people hunch their shoulders, yet the increasing warmth brought renewed energy. Not only school and village matters, but also the office program development that ID Technology was pouring its full strength into was advancing steadily. The Silicon Valley team's teamwork exceeded expectations. Every day Yoo Jae-won reviewed the source code they produced, and it matched the assignments he had given them with flawless precision. Thanks to this, he decided against hiring the twenty people originally planned and kept the team at its current twelve members. The group was stable, and while the office program was a substantial project, the initial version could be completed with this size, he judged.
Yoo Jae-won had provided a meticulous, large-scale blueprint, and he had already implemented difficult technologies such as the Dynamic Object Manager (DOM) that would have taken days of deliberation. As a result, development speed was ferocious. The program had already reached a runnable state. It operated in VGA's high-resolution mode of 640×480 with 16 colors as the base, and with more video memory it could display higher resolutions and more colors. The Ribbon Interface had been refined to a polished finish. At a glance, it already resembled a complete operating system.
When the executable file named "START" was launched, the start button and taskbar appeared, followed by the desktop. The start button itself contained the word "start." On the desktop, icons for the installed office programs were immediately visible—four if all were purchased, or only the purchased product's icon if just one had been bought. Programs could be launched directly from desktop icons or via the start button. That was not all. Users could set any image as the wallpaper and place whichever programs they wanted on the desktop. Any program created by ID Technology was automatically recognized like a Keyboard Warrior and turned into an icon, while products from other companies could be configured through the icon creation feature. Even work files could be placed on the desktop. Instead of launching a program first and then loading a file, users could execute files directly from the desktop state. A simple file manager had also been included, allowing files to be copied to or from floppy disks, deleted, or renamed.
At this point it looked like an operating system, yet it was not quite there. Because it ran on top of DOS, its multitasking capability was severely limited and memory management remained bound by DOS constraints. Even so, the minimum specifications were high: a 386 CPU, at least 1 MB of RAM, and a VGA card. Once those were met, hardware scrolling and smart cache functions activated, delivering remarkably smooth operation. Long documents scrolled fluidly, a stark contrast to existing business software. Most current productivity programs suffered screen lag of over a second when inserting images or handling lengthy documents. Factoring in the remaining work and compatibility testing with numerous hardware manufacturers, both the Korean and English versions should be ready by early summer at the latest.
—Boss, this is Hwang Jae-hong.
After school, the call waiting for Yoo Jae-won came from Hwang Jae-hong. Having successfully resolved the ancestral mountain issue, Hwang had been given the grand title of Field Manager at ID Investment. His countermeasures for land expropriation had been excellent, and his handling of the high-value mushrooms and medicinal herbs growing on the mountain had been equally impressive. The forestry cooperative had been granted a three-year lease on harvesting rights, with an evaluation at the end of the term to decide whether to continue or terminate. The cooperative recruited experienced mushroom gatherers from nearby villages, and the pine mushrooms they harvested were sold to Japan first while other herbs followed a purchasing model through the cooperative. The profit split of 4:3:3 was generous enough to avoid any complaints about tenant farming. With Hwang Jae-hong's skill, the Yoo family could have secured five or six parts, but the broad-minded uncle and relatives chose not to be greedy. After all, thanks to Yoo Jae-won, money and prestige were already rolling into the household in abundance; there was no need to invite gossip by being overly ambitious. Besides, the ancestral mountain was merely a place visited for ancestral rites; it had been nothing more than neglected land. No one had known expensive mushrooms grew there. Receiving even forty percent from a mountain they had thought worthless was more than satisfactory.
Though his background was not entirely reassuring, the test was complete once he proved he would not abscond and would keep his word. If Yoo Jae-won had decided to use him, he would back him fully. The unfamiliar title of Field Manager came with an important mission: to scour the ground personally for land ID Investment could invest in.
"How are things there?"
Hwang Jae-hong was currently exploring the area Yoo Jae-won had specifically designated.
—Rumors are circulating, but actual transactions are few, so there is no sign of prices rising. However, I have confirmed that several owners of farmland tied up in the southern greenbelt are willing to sell now that this opportunity has arisen. Still, it falls short of the amount you mentioned, sir.
Hwang Jae-hong's detailed report continued. The area Yoo Jae-won had pinpointed was Bundang. It was the most successful among the five districts announced as the first new towns. Yoo Jae-won had stated he would invest ID Investment's entire capital of 4.5 billion won, and Hwang Jae-hong, upon receiving the instruction, had been too stunned to speak. Only after Yoo Jae-won showed him the bank account to prove his sincerity did Hwang head to Bundang and begin working diligently. Hwang Jae-hong was in high spirits. Upon his appointment as Field Manager he had also received a company car for work—an entirely new Toyota Crown, the same model he had rented at great expense to show off when visiting Naeo Village the previous year. Though the title remained under ID Investment, it was Hwang Jae-hong's personal set of wheels, and once the Bundang acquisitions were finished he would even be allowed to hire subordinates to assist him. ID Technology's financial strength made purchasing a single Crown trivial. Moreover, arriving in a Crown when visiting Naeo Village served as a powerful symbolic icon demonstrating the ability to pay landowners in full.
"Good. Go ahead and contact those willing to sell and proceed with the transactions. Offer generous prices. That should sway those who have not yet decided."
—Understood. I will prepare immediately.
"All right. Once the contract date is set, report it. My parents will be the ones signing, not me."
—Yes, sir! I will naturally come down to escort them!
Yoo Jae-won was still a minor, so an agent had to handle the transaction. Until now it had been Choi Kang-wook, but for ID Investment matters his parents would step forward. His parents, who were learning about real estate transactions and driving, seemed to possess active temperaments and greatly enjoyed touring land. Stopping by a nearby restaurant for a good meal after viewing properties felt like a gourmet journey. They were still unfamiliar with real estate deals and had never made large profits from land before, so they were taking it leisurely, but Yoo Jae-won was certain that once they tasted a big success they would become far more proactive.
After ending the call, Yoo Jae-won sat in front of the radio with the stack of faxes that had accumulated during school hours. Turning the radio on and raising the volume while reviewing the faxed documents had become his most important after-school task lately. At first he had turned on the television without thinking and been flustered when nothing appeared. In 1989, afternoon broadcasts did not begin until around five o'clock. Unless there was a special event like the Olympics, there was no programming, only static. Fortunately the radio broadcast continued into the afternoon. Leaving it on provided news and music, which was better than television.
—Here is news from Mirae Group. Chairman Jeon Myeong-heon of Mirae Group has dismissed the entire management team of Mirae Construction, citing poor performance. Details have also emerged: while performance was indeed an issue, the chairman's fury erupted over the long-term concealment of losses from overseas operations. Furthermore, concrete evidence of embezzlement has been uncovered. Attention is now focused on whether this will lead to criminal charges by the prosecution.
While Yoo Jae-won was reviewing the faxes and drafting instructions, a scoop broke on the radio.
"Wow, Chairman Jeon certainly doesn't hold back."
Had it been about a month since he had given the tip about Mirae Construction? The chairman was demonstrating his decisive style by sweeping out the entire management. No matter how high-ranking an executive might be, without royal blood they were little more than mayflies. Those who had wielded influence without realizing this had now fallen one after another. With talk of embezzlement evidence surfacing, it seemed the chairman had caught wind of the embezzlement of the Dogok-dong land. After all, Yoo Jae-won had mentioned it openly during their wager; anyone who investigated would have uncovered the embezzlement. Having been cut down on such sordid charges, the title of "Salaryman's Myth" would now pass to someone else.
Speaking of the Salaryman's Myth reminded him of a drama stored in his Memory Palace.
"Huh? Does that mean the drama won't air?"
It had been a weekend serial drama titled Heroic Era. Its plot followed the heroic tale of the president of Mirae Construction, who built the Salaryman's Myth amid the corporate war between Ilsung and Mirae. Though filled with exaggeration and leaps of logic, it had been a drama Yoo Jae-won had enjoyed watching with his parents when he was young. Now that the real-life figure who had provided the author's inspiration had fallen so disgracefully, he wondered whether the drama would even be produced properly.
"Well, something similar will probably come out anyway."
His concern ended there. He had enjoyed the drama, but he did not respect the man. Searching through the success stories of 1970s and 1980s business tycoons would yield plenty of similar myths; he was confident another figure would serve as the model instead.
Ah, he also felt sorry for the executives who had been swept away alongside the chairman. Still, if the three-cushion technique had produced results this clean, then it had worked effectively.
—Additionally, the business community and Mirae Group are watching closely to see who will fill the vacant position of president at Mirae Construction.
Hmm? The Mirae Group news was not over yet.