Three Apps That Shook the Table
Seated in front of my computer, I thought about what kind of app I should make.
'What can I build that’ll really put Seongsam Electronics in its place?'
It wouldn’t be enough to just show off some impressive technology.
I needed to plan an app that people could actually use in real life, something executives, lower-level employees, and ordinary members of the public would all want on their phones.
Tick. Tick.
The cursor on the monitor blinked in a steady rhythm. The blank screen waited silently for the code I would type into it.
'Should I make a game?'
My head was already full of the games that would shake up the smartphone market.
But I shook my head.
'If I were only targeting the general public, that might be fine. But this time I have to account for corporate staff too. Games are a little too light for that.'
I propped my chin on my hand and thought it over, then asked Zero.
'Zero.'
Yes, Master.
'What’s something office workers or the general public are stressed out about that I could turn into an app?'
I'll suggest three.
Zero answered at once.
First, fax.
'Fax?'
Yes. For urgent document delivery during off-site meetings, people still waste more than forty minutes a day running around looking for stationery stores or PC rooms. Even when they have email, there is still a lingering habit of refusing to accept anything unless it is a stamped paper original.
Ah.
Come to think of it, I remembered something.
Back when I worked part-time at a PC room, office workers had come in desperate to send a fax.
'What’s the second one?'
Business card management. Countless cards are left in the corner of a desk or simply lost, and people waste a great deal of time on the mindless labor of entering them into their phone contacts. The problem is not just the time involved; there are also awkward situations when a card is lost.
The wallet I had given my father was always stuffed full of business cards, too.
Third, public transportation times. Not just office workers in Korea, but students, homemakers, and most other people use public transit. There are government systems for this already, but you still have to check the sign boards at the stop or look it up on a PC before heading out. You can also check over mobile internet, but the speed is slow and data charges are expensive, so in practice it’s hard to check comfortably while you’re out.
Hmm.
The things Zero mentioned were inconveniences I had never had to think about back in my original time.
Electronic contracts existed, so there was no need to fax signed or stamped documents. Business cards existed too, but they were exchanged out of courtesy and formality, not as a source of stress.
Besides, even without someone’s phone number, we could just talk through messengers.
And it was easy to know when the bus or subway was coming.
'But none of that exists right now, does it?'
Correct. So if you propose apps that solve those problems, Seongsam Electronics will definitely be surprised. Executives hate handling business cards, employees are sick of fax machines, and everyone wants to know transit times.
Then maybe I could make three apps.
Three apps, each solving a different problem.
An excellent approach. Shall Master handle the basic application architecture as before?
At Zero’s question, I thought it over for a moment, then took my hands off the keyboard and leaned back in my chair.
'No, I think it’d be better if you built it.'
No matter how capable I was, I couldn’t beat Zero’s speed. Work that would take me a week of coding, Zero could finish in a minute.
'That time is better spent thinking about other things. Extra features for the app, or what I should demand from Seongsam Electronics.'
I already had the entire code structure mapped out in my head.
I just didn’t want to do the mind-numbing labor of typing it all out.
'I’ll review the result you make and only confirm the details.'
That is a good idea. However, there is one matter Master must decide, as before.
'What is it?'
The names of each application. Since these are Master’s apps, Master should decide them.
'Okay. I’ll think about that.'
Understood. Then I will begin work. First, I will design code that scrapes publicly available raw data from each municipal server in real time and reprocesses it, while simultaneously optimizing for the limited performance of current smartphones.
'Compress the data packets as much as possible, and keep memory usage to about one-tenth of existing apps. And since it’ll be slow to process the data on the phone itself, strengthen the server-side computation.'
Understood.
The moment Zero spoke, fluorescent code began pouring down the monitor’s terminal window like a waterfall.
Chhrrrraaaaaaaaa.
It moved at a speed the human eye couldn’t even begin to follow.
"...Fast."
I already knew it was quick, but seeing it with my own eyes made me let out a dry laugh.
'I should have had it do FreeChat and Clear Cam like this too.'
That thought crossed my mind, but even so, I was glad I’d made the first two apps myself, one detail at a time.
It had been rewarding.
Less than a minute later, Zero reported back.
Master, the first beta version is complete.
Time passed quickly, and three days later.
─ Ding dong!
─ Delivery!
The item I had been waiting for had arrived.
It was an Apple phone I’d ordered directly from Hong Kong, since it still wasn’t released in Korea yet.
I tore open the delivery box, and the Apple phone was revealed.
'It really is pretty, even now.'
The smoothly curved finish and the display filling the entire front were definitely the kind of design people would lust after.
'Then let’s connect it to the computer and install the apps.'
I connected the device to my computer at once and downloaded my three private apps onto the Apple phone.
Once the download finished.
'Download complete... run.'
Not bad.
After checking that the apps ran properly, I turned the phone off.
Then I packed the device into another box I had prepared in advance.
'Zero. Contact the Seongsam Electronics person in charge. Tell them we’re ready.'
Understood.
At Seongsam Electronics headquarters in Seocho District, Seoul, Kim Hyeoncheol, head of the Future Innovation Office, rubbed his tired eyes and loosened his tie.
The stacks of documents on his desk were all reports on the next smartphone’s planning, development, and marketing.
"Hoo... I’m exhausted."
He set his pen down for a moment and looked out the window.
'When is Another Technology going to contact us?'
The "test" that the wireless business division head had proposed to Another Technology.
Through his secretary, Kim Hyeoncheol had reached out to Another Technology and proposed a test under the absurd pretense of “verifying a business agreement.”
'I was so embarrassed by how suddenly I asked them to take a test that I told them we’d cover all the costs too — the testing fee, the labor fee, even transportation.'
The wrinkle deepened on Kim Hyeoncheol’s forehead.
Then came a knock.
His secretary, Anna-hui, entered the room.
"Director, Another Tech just contacted us."
"What kind of contact?"
Kim Hyeoncheol stood up.
"They said the test preparations are finished."
"...The test preparations are finished? It’s only been three days since we told them."
"Yes. I found that odd too, so I asked several times, and the office they called their secretary’s office confirmed it repeatedly."
Until just a moment ago, he had been worrying that they hadn’t gotten in touch.
But now he was only flustered by Another Technology’s speed.
"And they said they’ve sent a package, and asked that it be opened in front of all the executives. They emphasized that it had to be in a room with a final decision-maker present."
"Open a package in an executive meeting? Without checking it first?"
"Yes. I’m not sure exactly what they meant, but they said, ‘Once you check the contents, we’ll know right away.’"
"What the...?"
Kim Hyeoncheol’s brow furrowed.
In cases like this, the developer would normally come in person to give a presentation, or at least send over files.
But telling them to just open a package in front of the executives, without explanation, made no sense.
'Are they saying they refuse the test? Or is this a notice that negotiations are dead?'
Surely they weren’t answering in some American “go to hell” fashion, were they?
Kim Hyeoncheol naturally assumed the representative and developers at Another Technology were Americans.
If something ridiculous came out in a meeting with the executives and the vice chairman present, it would be a disaster.
'They’ll screen for bugs or explosives before the package arrives, so there shouldn’t be any safety issue...'
"Secretary An, how did that secretary’s office sound? Angry? Sarcastic?"
Anna-hui tilted her head.
"Well... I couldn’t feel any emotion at all. The voice was of a very calm woman, and the tone was perfectly even. It felt almost like a recorded guidance message."
"So, businesslike."
"Yes. That was the impression."
Kim Hyeoncheol stroked his chin.
'Thoroughly businesslike, huh... I can’t read them. Are they offended, or are they serious?'
"All right. When the package arrives, take it straight to the conference room. Check Vice Chairman Lee’s schedule."
"Yes."
Time passed.
Just as Another Technology had said, a package really did arrive at Seongsam Electronics headquarters.
The sender was Another Technology Korea, and the recipient was Seongsam Electronics Future Innovation Office.
The next morning, in Seongsam Electronics’ large conference room, Vice Chairman Lee Jaeyoung sat silently in the seat of honor.
On either side of him stood the wireless division’s senior executive, the technical staff, and Kim Hyeoncheol of the Future Innovation Office.
At the center of the table sat a lone package.
"...Hah, well now."
The senior executive let out a dry laugh.
"Director Kim. So you called in Another Technology to test them, and they didn’t even bother to come in person, just sent a box?"
"... "
"They’ve got no basic sales sense, no manners either. Can you really work with a company like that?"
Kim Hyeoncheol pressed his lips together. He had no reply.
'Please, let it be something proper.'
"Vice Chairman, shall we check it?"
"... "
...nod.
Even Vice Chairman Lee looked displeased at Another Technology’s attitude.
Riiip.
Kim Hyeoncheol sliced through the packing tape with a cutter knife.
When he removed the cushioning, a white package was revealed.
At that moment, Kim Hyeoncheol’s pupils trembled.
Then the senior executive frowned and said, "Wait... isn’t that an Apple phone?!"
It was. Inside the package was Seongsam Electronics’ mortal enemy.
To Seongsam Electronics, it might as well have been a real bomb.
"Those insane bastards...!"
The senior executive slammed the table.
Bang!
"They dragged all of us here and sent an Apple phone?! Director Kim, what is this?"
The conference room erupted in commotion. Kim Hyeoncheol went blank.
'...Is this really an American-style go-to-hell response?'
Then Kim Hyeoncheol found a note at the bottom of the box.
"Wait a moment. There’s a note."
Clinging to the faintest hope, he checked it.
Surprisingly, it was written in Korean, not English.
Hello, Seongsam Electronics employees.
This is the development team at Another Technology.
The Apple phone we sent contains three apps developed at our headquarters.
Please insert the bundled SIM card from the Hong Kong carrier and use it. The SIM is already roaming-enabled, so internet access should work.
The applications have been designed so that their use is intuitive as soon as you launch them.
Warning: If any attempt is detected to disassemble the device or extract the source code, all data will be deleted immediately and an alert about the hacking attempt will be transmitted.
Please assess the value of the applications and present your evaluation within one week of the start of the test.
If you do not present one, we will immediately pursue a contract with Apple, and afterward our headquarters will not consider a contract with Seongsam.
You could feel it in every sentence.
Considerable confidence. And an attitude that was almost brazen.
'A Hong Kong carrier SIM too... and they put the apps on the phone for us, then told us to check them out? And if we don’t offer a deal within a week, they go to Apple instead?'
While Kim Hyeoncheol stood there holding the note, Vice Chairman Lee Jaeyoung asked, "What does it say?"
"Well... it says they downloaded three apps they want to show us onto this Apple phone, and asked us to take a look."
"... "
Kim Hyeoncheol couldn’t bring himself to mention the part about going to Apple instead.
Vice Chairman Lee didn’t move an inch. Then he gestured with his chin toward the device.
"Fine. Turn it on."
"...Yes."
With trembling hands, Kim Hyeoncheol inserted the SIM card and pressed the power button.
The black screen lit up, and soon the Apple phone turned on.
On the screen were three apps.
Another Fax, Another Business, and Another Way.
First, Kim Hyeoncheol opened Another Fax.
A clean white screen appeared.
There was no complicated settings window, no address entry.
All it showed was the line, "The test version can be used without logging into FreeChat," and one single button.
[Take document photo (photograph the document to be faxed so it fits within the frame on the screen)]
'Photograph the document to fax?'
He had no idea what they intended, but Kim Hyeoncheol couldn’t afford to look flustered in front of the executives, so he did as the app instructed.
Click.
He instinctively took a photo of one of the meeting documents lying on the desk.
Then something astonishing happened on the screen.
Wiiiing.
The crooked edges of the document were instantly corrected automatically, and it was transformed into a crisp black-and-white page, as though it had been carefully scanned.
The shadows disappeared, and the text became even clearer.
"Huh...?"
A breathless sound escaped Kim Hyeoncheol’s mouth.
Vice Chairman Lee, watching from behind, widened his eyes.
"Did the document you just took appear on the Apple phone screen?"
"Y-yes, it did."
Keeping as calm as possible, Kim Hyeoncheol pressed the next button on the screen.
[Please enter a fax number]
'A fax number?'
He entered the number of the fax machine in one corner of the conference room.
[Transmission complete.]
'...What exactly was transmitted? And where to?'
That was when it happened.
Whiiir~ chk, chk~!
"...!"
"...!"
"...!"
"...!"
"...!"
Breaking the silence, the fax machine began to work.
As if bewitched, Kim Hyeoncheol checked the paper that came out of the machine.
'...Hah.'
The fax was the exact same document he had photographed.
The meeting material had come out without a single typo, and it was even cleaner than the original.
─ ...It sent the fax right after taking a photo?
─ And there’s no blur at all? Not even a shadow.
─ It’s cleaner than what comes out of the fax machine itself.
The executives, especially the people in charge of operations, began to murmur.
For operational staff, fax machines were an irritating, love-hate necessity.
And yet this had been solved with just a few taps.
"The next app... this one is Another Business."
Kim Hyeoncheol tapped the business card icon.
Once again, a direct and simple explanation appeared.
[Please take a photo of a business card! I’ll organize it for you! (Up to ten business cards can be organized at once)]
'It’ll organize business cards?'
Kim Hyeoncheol pulled his own card from his pocket, set it on the desk, and held the camera over it.
Click.
The moment it was taken, a loading bar appeared and vanished at once.
Then text appeared on the screen, like an Excel sheet.
[Kim Hyeoncheol, Director of Seongsam Electronics Future Innovation Office]
[H.P: 010-XXXX-XXXX]
[Email: [email protected]]
[Would you like to save this to your contacts?]
...
The conference room fell silent.
Card recognition technology wasn’t nonexistent even now. But you had to connect an expensive business card scanner to a PC, and even then the OCR errors were awful, so everything had to be corrected by hand.
And this, snapped with a smartphone camera, was perfect.
The executives in the room were more stunned by Another Business than they had been by Another Fax.
─ So you can just take a picture and it organizes the business card...?
─ I always hated sorting them after I got them.
─ The cards you get at a drinking party are always crumpled or lost in your suit pocket the next day... so you’re saying you just photograph them on the spot and you’re done?
─ That actually makes you look sharp. It feels advanced, the way Seongsam Electronics would want.
─ And you don’t need to hand your phone to a secretary and wait. The key is that you can find it yourself.
A person who only gets one or two cards might wonder why that was a problem, but executives were different.
Executives received dozens of business cards in a single day.
After all, eighty percent of their work was managing the networks needed for sales and business deals.
Every time they received a card, they either had a secretary enter it or let it pile up in a desk drawer.
So this app had scratched exactly where they itched most.
The senior executive shouted in disbelief.
"Isn’t this just preloaded data? How can a business card come out exactly like that the moment you take a photo!"
With that, he snatched the Apple phone from Kim Hyeoncheol’s hands.
Then he took a photo of his own card.
[Choi Ho-cheol, Wireless Business Division, Seongsam Electronics]
[H.P: 010-XXXX-XXXX]
[Email: [email protected]]
[Would you like to save this to your contacts?]
"...Damn it."
It wasn’t a trick.
The senior executive returned the Apple phone to Kim Hyeoncheol.
"The last application is... the Another Way app."
Kim Hyeoncheol launched the final app.
[On cold days, hot days, and rainy days! The most convenient and fastest public transit right on time!]
With that message, the app sprang to life immediately, and bus stops and subway stations around Seongsam Electronics headquarters were marked on the map.
[Bus No. 402 ~ arriving in 3 minutes (2 stops away)]
[Bus No. 143 ~ waiting at depot]
...
[Bus No. 1542 ~ arriving soon]
That wasn’t all.
[Please set a departure point and destination.]
'Departure point and destination?'
The same question arose again, but Kim Hyeoncheol followed the app’s instructions.
He entered Seongsam Electronics headquarters as the departure point and his home as the destination.
Immediately, the optimal route appeared.
As soon as they saw it, the executives in the conference room reacted.
─ This is... going to be an app the whole nation uses.
─ That’s right. And all of the users’ travel route data will be accumulated on our server. If we know who is going where and when, the value of that data could be worth hundreds of billions, depending on how we use it.
─ Even when we’re heading home after company dinners, we can time things better...
─ If those apps are included on Apple phones when they launch in Korea... that would be a big problem.
─ But how did they even implement this?
─ I’m most curious about Another Fax. To take a photo, match the text, and transmit it as an image... there’s no way it should be this fast. How?
The three apps were simple.
But everyone in the room knew it instinctively.
'...This sells.'
Not just sells, either. These were things that would change the world. Employees hunting for PC rooms because of faxing, salespeople sick of sorting business cards, students stomping their feet because they missed the bus.
Every single person in Korea was a potential customer for these apps.
Kim Hyeoncheol carefully composed his face, pretending to be unbothered.
But inside, even he was astonished.
'I didn’t expect this much. They prepared this in just three days?'
Keeping his expression steady, Kim Hyeoncheol quietly asked the stunned senior executive, "Senior Executive Choi. Do you still think Another Technology is just some ordinary startup?"
"... "
"They are truly people with another technology."
When the senior executive remained silent, unable to say a word, Kim Hyeoncheol added one more thing.
"One more thing. If we don’t present a contract offer within a week, these apps will go to Apple."
!
Not just the senior executive, but the other staff members and Vice Chairman Lee Jaeyoung too.
Everyone’s brows furrowed with worry and shock.
In that silence, Vice Chairman Lee said, "Future Innovation Office Director. And wireless business division head."
Yes.
"Can’t we make something like that ourselves?"
Kim Hyeoncheol shook his head.
"Nothing except the public transit app is possible."
"... "
"We could imitate it, but we could never match that level of completion. We have to acknowledge that."
"... "
"And considering they made these apps in just three days after we said we’d take the test, Another Technology must have many more apps ready besides these. What they showed us might be nothing more than a small app intended just for the test."
Hoo.
Lee Jaeyoung let out a breath.
Then he looked at the Apple phone in Kim Hyeoncheol’s hands and said, "Block it."
Lee Jaeyoung’s voice was low, but it was cold enough to freeze the entire conference room.
"Pardon?"
"I said block them from going to Apple, by any means necessary."
Lee Jaeyoung stood up and looked Kim Hyeoncheol straight in the eye.
"Give them a blank check, buy the company outright, do whatever you have to. We are taking them, no matter what."
At the vice chairman’s firm order, Kim Hyeoncheol nodded.