Chapter 12
Chapter 12
At Ki Sung IT, there was a separate lab called the “Research Center,” apart from the regular development office.
Jeong Jin-woo swiped his ID card, issued as a planning team leader, at the door—but it didn’t open.
“How did you get in here?”
When he turned around, a bearded man the size of a bear was standing there.
“Ah! I’m here to see Department Head Oh Gong-tae.”
“Where are you from?”
“I’m Jeong Jin-woo, newly hired, team leader of the business planning department.”
“Ah… nice to meet you. I’m Manager Jeon Gwang-jin.”
When they shook hands, Jeong Jin-woo realized the man’s hands were literally the size of pot lids.
“Please wait a moment. I’ll call Department Head Oh Gong-tae.”
“Ah, thank you.”
Jeong Jin-woo felt a bit nervous.
If Manager Jeon Gwang-jin, a subordinate of Oh Gong-tae, looked like a bear in his mid-thirties, what would Oh Gong-tae be like? Some kind of King Kong or Godzilla level monster?
After Manager Jeon entered the research lab, a moment later, a scrawny, stick-thin boy appeared from inside.
“You were looking for me?”
“Huh?”
He had expected some Godzilla-level monster, and instead got something resembling Pinocchio.
“I’m Department Head Oh Gong-tae. Weren’t you looking for me?”
“Oh, yes, that’s right.”
With a youthful face, a bowl cut, and black-rimmed glasses, he looked no older than his mid-twenties. This was Oh Gong-tae, the department head?
The only sign of age was the dark circles under his eyes.
“I need to discuss something.”
“Discuss? About what?”
“About the resources Ki Sung IT has and the direction we should go…”
Oh Gong-tae just stared at Jeong Jin-woo.
“You’re new here? Suddenly a team leader?”
“Yes, something like that.”
“I’m a very busy person. You can check company resources on the intranet; I don’t have time to explain everything in detail.”
With that, he started to turn away.
“Wait a moment. Just a moment.”
“Go ahead.”
“Department Head Oh… is there anything you want?”
“Want? What would I want?”
“Like a project you’d like to do… or something you want to purchase.”
Oh Gong-tae chuckled at that.
“If I tell you, you can make it happen?”
“Yes, I will.”
“What did you say? Hahaha…”
Laughing as if it were funny, Oh Gong-tae continued.
“You don’t know what you’re dealing with. You just joined, so you don’t know yet. This isn’t SangSong or AMG. What I want, even President Choi Tae-min can’t give. Don’t bother busy people…”
Jeong Jin-woo stared straight at him and spoke.
“Why are you so negative? Is that all you’re capable of?”
“Huh? What did you say?”
The young-looking Oh Gong-tae adjusted his glasses and glared, pride pricked.
“You say you’ll grant whatever Oh Gong-tae wants—but only if he helps me. Your goal is to make Ki Sung IT a successful company, right?”
“This guy…”
Oh Gong-tae bit his lower lip.
“After all that… if you don’t like it, that’s fine. So, what, should we have a serious talk, or will you just lock yourself in the lab, coding useless programs alone?”
Jeong Jin-woo’s provocative tone made Oh Gong-tae chuckle.
“You’ve forgotten you’re the department head… fine, let’s talk. But if it’s nothing, be prepared. I’ll fire you.”
“Fine… let’s go.”
Jeong Jin-woo nodded and led the way.
“So, you need about 10 billion won?”
“Buying a supercomputer and a multimodal AI agent would cost about that, yes.”
“Hmmm…”
Jeong Jin-woo sighed, and Oh Gong-tae chuckled.
“You said to ask what I want. Why? Think it’s too hard?”
“Well…”
“I don’t trust business planners. They talk big but reality is ruthless.”
“It’s not that…”
Jeong Jin-woo shook his head.
“Giving 10 billion is easy. Doubling the employees’ salaries suddenly is tricky. It would be weird if everyone’s pay doubled overnight, right?”
“I thought you’d say that… hahaha.”
“Here’s the plan: double salaries within a year. Sudden doubling is strange. Employees would find it suspicious, right?”
“Work hard during that year to earn the extra, then double the pay?”
“That’s it.”
“You must be joking… I’ve worked at Ki Sung IT for over ten years. I’ve seen all kinds of people. Those who talk grandiose ideas and push people hard—do you know what happens? Most fail. They move to another company, leaving others exhausted. Their hard work becomes worthless.”
“Do I have to do the same?”
“No, I’ve staked my life on Ki Sung IT.”
His gaze was serious, almost piercing.
“Just curious—how old are you this year?”
“Why? I’ve lived enough.”
“You don’t seem older than me… over thirty?”
“Does age matter? I’ve worked here over ten years.”
So he wasn’t even thirty yet. He must have joined Ki Sung IT before finishing high school?
“Here’s what we’ll do, Department Head Oh!”
“What?”
“I’ll invest 10 billion won within a week.”
“Hahaha, go ahead.”
Oh Gong-tae laughed, mocking the statement. He looked young, and Jeong Jin-woo wanted to give him a playful hit on the head.
“Tomorrow, we’ll inject 10 billion into the lab.”
“Tomorrow?”
“And double the employees’ salaries within six months.”
“….”
“And third, your project—the one to customize games into virtual reality—start that.”
Even for Jeong Jin-woo, Oh Gong-tae’s plans sounded absurd—turning a virtual reality portal into a platform for customizing all existing games.
“But!”
Jeong Jin-woo raised his index finger at Oh Gong-tae.
“All tasks I assign must be done thoroughly and prioritized above all else. And everything we discuss stays secret. Can you do that?”
“Team Leader Jeong! Who are you really? Just a fake team leader and you can throw 10 billion? Are you rich? A chaebol?”
Oh Gong-tae sounded half resigned, mocking now.
“I’m asking if you’ll do it or not.”
This time, Jeong Jin-woo stared him down fiercely.
“Fine! If it works as you say, there’s no reason not to. 10 billion is ready, no loss here.”
“The secrecy must be absolute. If broken, I’ll kick you out empty-handed.”
“Hahaha… kick me out? Look, Team Leader Jeong, even President Choi Tae-min can’t fire me. I am Ki Sung IT’s alpha and omega. I am Ki Sung IT. Who will fire me?”
“It means if you break the promise, that’s what happens.”
“Interesting. So what do you want me to do?”
Oh Gong-tae grinned, looking at Jeong Jin-woo.
“Revive that cryptocurrency project we abandoned before!”
“Cryptocurrency? It’s already passé… might not be interesting…”
“Don’t worry about that.”
“If it’s needed, we’ll do it. Hahaha.”
Oh Gong-tae laughed with amusement.
Jeong Jin-woo smiled back.
If they were just creating a simple cryptocurrency, he could stay hidden.
But he had to assess Oh Gong-tae, the man responsible for Ki Sung IT’s core technology—could he trust him, could he work with him?
After conversing, Jeong Jin-woo was certain.
“You’re mine, Oh Gong-tae.”
He would make Oh Gong-tae his ally.
“Did you meet any private equity or investment firms?”
“Huh? Me?”
“Otherwise, who would do this? Director Ki, tell me.”
As soon as Oh Gong-tae returned to the lab, he was summoned by President Choi Tae-min.
Director Ki Dong-chan pulled out a paper.
“We received an offer from Seonggong Ki Sung Private Equity. 38.5 billion won for 35% of our shares at 1.5x multiple.”
“With that, the bank debt is cleared and there’s money left over?”
“Yes. But there’s a condition: invest 8 billion into the lab for a supercomputer, and 2 billion for acquiring a multimodal AI.”
“Oh… what?”
Oh Gong-tae’s eyes went wide.
The proposal matched exactly what he had discussed with Jeong Jin-woo just an hour ago.
“Unless you told them, how do they know exactly what you were planning? Are you connected to Seonggong Ki Sung Private Equity?”
“No, I just… always told employees that Ki Sung IT needs a supercomputer and to enter AI. That’s all.”
President Choi gave a suspicious glance, but Director Ki nodded.
“Hmmm… indeed. Any Ki Sung IT employee would have heard Oh Gong-tae’s habitual talk. Maybe someone leaked it outside.”
“But can we trust that private equity? Won’t they take over the company?”
President Choi frowned, but Director Ki squinted.
“Do we have anything to lose? It’s all bank debt. Clearing debt is a gain. They’re paying 1.5x—we should be grateful.”
“That’s true… hmm.”
Oh Gong-tae’s mind raced.
Who is this Jeong Jin-woo? He brings 38.5 billion, clears debt, and invests 10 billion into the lab? Just in an hour?
“Why the long face?”
“Oh, I’m just stunned. Can’t believe this is real.”
“Snap out of it! There’s work to do. Seonggong Ki Sung Fund requested one thing.”
Could it be? Could it be?
Oh Gong-tae licked his lower lip, waiting for Director Ki’s words.
“Create a cryptocurrency.”
“C-Cryptocurrency?”
“A clean, highly secure coin. Something tamper-proof. Gold-backed stable coin, I think?”
Exactly. He was certain.
Though he didn’t know the full details, it was clear Jeong Jin-woo was behind everything Oh Gong-tae had heard.
“No problem. We already have something developed. With some adjustments, it can match their specs.”
“Good… I was worried there’d be too much to do.”
“What work? Aside from JW Entertainment? Still pre-contract, right?”
“Didn’t I tell you? Five contracts are confirmed, and four more next week. That kid Jeong Jin-woo is a charm. Meetings with clients are smooth and contracts finalize quickly.”
President Choi and Director Ki were laughing with excitement, but Oh Gong-tae couldn’t join in.
“Why the long face?”
“Gong-tae! This is great news! You can be happy!”
“Yes, of course… hahaha…”
His lips itched to share what he saw and felt with President Choi and Director Ki, almost like an uncle. But Jeong Jin-woo had warned him.
If their secret got out, he’d be kicked out empty-handed.
“What on earth is this guy?”
His mind spun, completely disoriented.
“A chaebol?”
There were sometimes unique individuals with bizarre hobbies—reckless heirs of conglomerates, doing strange things for amusement.
Though outwardly laughing, Oh Gong-tae’s mind was in chaos.
“This… this guy is something else.”
“This guy’s insane?”
Oh Gong-tae muttered to himself, while President Choi and Director Ki glared.