My call with Chu Min-jeong lasted until sunrise.
It felt like barely an hour had passed, but the sun was already up before I knew it.
[Oh? It’s already this late. I need to get ready for work.]
“Don’t go in today—just work from home. I’ll inform your department.”
[No, it’s fine! I should still go in. I’ll hang up now.]
I could hear a commotion on the other end of the phone as she hurried to get ready.
I quietly pressed the end cal...
Chu Min-jeong possessed two exceptional skills.
One was programming.
The other was algorithms.
I had always thought of algorithms as just a method for solving problems.
Before my regression, they were widely used in advertising, music recommendations, and various other fields.
But Min-jeong’s algorithmic prowess went far beyond anything I had imagined.
She could immediately pinpoint flaws in messaging apps and social media platforms built...
The 2002 World Cup drama had finally come to an end.
Just as history had written, South Korea finished in an impressive fourth place, making the tournament a spectacular success.
And when a drama becomes a hit, its lead actors’ value naturally skyrockets.
But Taewoo Group had already signed contracts before the drama even aired.
"Hyundai Motors and Samsung Electronics tried to sign advertising deals with the national team but failed."
"It must be beca...
I searched my memory and organized everything I knew about Bitcoin.
The developer of Bitcoin was Satoshi Nakamoto.
Although the name sounded Japanese, no one knew his nationality, age, or any other personal details.
Because of this, various conspiracy theories had emerged.
Some even speculated that Bitcoin was secretly created by a coalition of major corporations.
But conspiracy theories weren’t important.
Since recruiting Satoshi Nakamoto himself w...
His father’s sudden declaration blindsided Jung Ho-young.
“Study abroad? Just like that? Why should I? You promised that once I got into college, I could do whatever I wanted!”
“And ‘whatever you wanted’ turned out to be manipulating prosecution investigators for personal matters?”
“What’s wrong with that? I was just using people who work under you!”
“You little brat—!”
Smack!
Jung Ho-young’s cheek turned red.
<...
Chu Min-jeong was a highly guarded person.
Except for the moment I first entered the restaurant, she showed no change in expression. Even after shaking hands, she quickly withdrew her hand and hid it under the table.
Unkempt hair.
A face devoid of makeup.
Dark circles shadowing her eyes.
It was an appearance that didn’t suit a 21-year-old at all.
But considering the employees at Taewoo IT, it wasn’t an unfamiliar sight.
They were the type of people...
During the financial crisis, Taewoo Group sold off many of its subsidiaries.
Notably, large-scale divisions such as shipbuilding, credit cards, and mobile phones were among them.
Some of these eventually returned to the group, but overall, they had been working to downsize.
However, once the crisis ended, they embarked on a series of large-scale mergers and acquisitions.
This led to the acquisition of major businesses such as battery and semiconductor manufacturing...
Lee Soo-Hyun fell into deep thought.
If a new competitor emerged, the entire plan to sell Foreign Exchange Bank would need to be revised.
And if Lone Star truly lost its eligibility, every agreement he had made with them would become void.
"It seems you've thought it over enough. Have you made up your mind?"
"What exactly do you need me to do? And what would I be getting in return…?"
"Of course, we’ll take care of you. A direct monetary reward might rais...
Thanks to the iPad and iPhone S, the audience was more than satisfied.
With their expectations already met, they watched the next product unveiling with a sense of ease.
[The final product we’d like to introduce today is a TV. You might be wondering—Apple making
a TV? If it were just a regular TV, that would indeed be surprising. But this isn’t just any TV; this is a smart TV. Just as the iPhone revolutionized the mobile market, Apple TV is set to redefine televi...
In any organization, whistleblowing was the most uncomfortable situation to deal with.
Especially in the strictly hierarchical world of government officials, whistleblowing was
considered nothing short of betrayal.
Because of this, several government ministries—deeply entrenched in their own cartels—
maintained an iron grip on internal discipline.
The Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) was no exception. As a regulatory body that oversaw
the economy, it...
The new year of 2002 had arrived.
A year of unending celebrations.
With both the World Cup and the presidential election taking place in South Korea, it was set to be an exceptionally heated year.
Of course, not everyone would be celebrating.
But for Taewoo Group to come out smiling, we had to be on the winning side.
"Vice Chairman, here’s the 2002 strategy report.
It includes the business plans for all subsidiaries, as well as analyses of domesti...
CL Card falls into Taewoo Group’s hands
Taewoo Card had returned home—bringing CL Card as its "wife."
Yet, Park Man-deok, CEO of Taewoo Securities, didn't look pleased.
"The scale of CL Card's card bonds is beyond imagination. Once we factor in the hidden
liabilities, the total surpasses 2 trillion won.
The real issue is the card bonds themselves.
No bank is willing to accept them, and credit rating agencies have downgraded their ratings
across the ...
Only a few days remained in 2001.
In my previous life, the credit card crisis occurred between 2002 and 2004.
However, in this life, since I had sold Taewoo Card to CL Card, the timing had been pushed
forward.
With Dimon's and Myeongdong's operations happening simultaneously, the crisis was
accelerating even faster.
“Vice Chairman! CL Card's cash advance services have been completely suspended!”
“It looks like their liquidity crisis has fi...
After finishing all the contracts, I took a brief break.
The planning director personally brewed a warm cup of tea and brought it to me.
"This is bellflower root tea. I prepared it because you've been speaking a lot today, and it's good
for your throat."
"Thank you. My throat was feeling a little scratchy—I'll enjoy it."
While I soothed my throat with the tea, the planning director stood quietly by, waiting.
"Is there something you'd like to say?"...
Steve was like a god in the IT industry.
Especially after the iPhone became a huge success, more people began to praise him, and CEO
Im Jaebeom was no different.
"Do you really think I resemble Steve?"
"You seem doubtful. Then I'll make you believe it."
I took out my phone and called Steve.
Calling without an appointment was rude, but between Steve and me, it was entirely possible.
[What’s the matter at this hour? If you're calling bec...
Like any negotiation, the terms always depended on how desperate one side was.
So...
Would Samsung Electronics really be incapable of producing smartphones without Taewoo's
patents?
The answer was half true, half false.
With our patents, they could manufacture smartphones without any issues.
But even without permission, they could still produce and release the devices —
they'd just have to brace themselves for a legal battle.
Patent la...
I didn't hand over the credit card company to the CL Group for no reason.
It was merely a temporary measure to protect Taewoo Group from the madness of the credit card crisis.
"The credit card companies will soon collapse simultaneously. Especially CL Card, which is
engaged in a cutthroat competition with Samsung Card, will suffer the greatest damage."
"CL Card is currently the number one company in the credit card industry. Moreover, with the
solid backing of ...
Taewoo IT had been posting tremendous quarterly results, and what had once started as a department with fewer than 100 employees had now grown into a team of over 1,000 experts.
“There are quite a few empty desks.”
“A lot of staff are currently dispatched to various projects, so only about 70% of the employees are in the office right now. However, the employees sent to game companies will be
returning soon, so we can proceed with all projects without any manpower sho...
President Woo Sung-il was as efficient as ever.
That was exactly why I had kept him in his position at the head of Taewoo Electronics.
It hadn't been more than a few hours since I mentioned wanting to meet Cyworld's CEO, Seo
Kwang-soo — yet here he was, already seated in the vice-chairman's office.
“Welcome. You must have been surprised by the sudden invitation.”
“Not at all. It's an honor to be called by the vice-chairman of Taewoo Group.”
I arrived in Korea a little later than planned.
The morning sun was just rising, and I headed straight to the office.
I was dying to rest, but there was no time for that as the emergency situation was still ongoing.
“Vice Chairman! The Chairman arrived in Korea yesterday. He is waiting in the Chairman’s
office now.”
“The Chairman returned from Vietnam?”
“He entered Korea on the day you departed for the U.S.”
It was clear how cr...
Coming to the U.S. wasn't just about inspecting the World Trade Center.
I had another, perhaps even more critical, mission.
I was here to recruit a man who would shape the future of Taewoo Group.
"You mentioned that you got in touch with the professor. When can we meet him?"
David, who was in charge of talent acquisition, nodded. "I’ve scheduled a meeting for today. He’s currently teaching at the University of Toronto, so if we don’t meet now, we’ll hav...
The phone rang immediately.
It was Team Leader Han.
[Sir! This is a disaster! The World Trade Center we leased has been attacked!]
“I’m watching the news right now.”
[Wall Street is in turmoil. Talks of massive short-selling are spreading everywhere.]
“Do not short-sell. In fact, don’t sell a single share.”
[Ah! Breaking news—U.S. stock markets will be shut down for a week.”
“That’s a relief. Stay completely still. Do...
TL/n -
Thank you, Ishan, for providing the backup chapters.
+++
Both CEOs were already well-versed in the concept of factory automation.
Especially Carlos, who had spent years in Europe and the U.S., understood it deeply—his belief
in reducing labor costs to maximize revenue aligned perfectly with this idea.
"Kia Motors is actively implementing factory automation systems."
"Taewoo Motors as well!"
They answered almost...
The short-selling faction relentlessly kept attacking.
And since oil prices in January 2015 continued their downward trend, Hess’s stock price plummeted sharply.
It wasn’t just Hess.
Not only American but also European oil companies faced financial tightening.
There were even cases where unprofitable businesses were sold off cheaply or liquidated.
Thanks to this, an unexpected opportunity came to us.
[Boss! Shell is offering to transfer the develo...
The promised day had arrived.
Chanos poured all the funds he possessed into short selling to prove himself to the hedge fund manager.
“Sir! Hess’s stock price has started to plummet rapidly.”
“It seems Taewoo Group hasn’t even set up a system to defend against short selling. But the counterattack will come soon, so stay focused.”
“Individual investors have also started to dump some of their shares.”
“The chairman of Taewoo Group spent time ...
There was no industry where labor costs loomed as large as in commerce.
You had to receive goods from sellers, store them in warehouses, and then deliver them all the way to customers’ doorsteps.
Every step of that process required human hands, which meant an enormous workforce.
It was no wonder Jeffrey had spent hours ranting about labor costs.
In the commerce industry, labor expenses consumed an outsized share of revenue.
That was why Jeffrey had poured most ...
2025-08-25 17:43:00 +0000 UTC View PostSteve and I walked through Apple’s product planning department, talking as we went.
It was a space where everything from the very first Macintosh to the newly released iPhone was on display. Standing in the middle, I spread my arms wide.
“Don’t you think something’s missing?”
“What exactly is missing?” Steve asked.
“The Mac and the iPhone feel too far apart. There’s nothing in between.”
“Are you talking about a laptop? We’re already d...
The young waitress, elegantly dressed in a modern hanbok, brought over the ssanghwa tea.
Deputy Director Liu Sang-fu took a sip and, seemingly satisfied, spoke.
“The aroma is quite unique.”
“It’s a traditional tea called ssanghwa tea, made with medicinal herbs like ginseng, jujube, cinnamon, and ginger.”
“No wonder it has such a strong herbal scent.”
“It’s often enjoyed in winter, as it helps prevent colds and restores energy.”
“...
The scene on the way to work hadn’t changed much then or now.
The atmosphere in the chairman’s office was no different, and despite being able to access global news on smartphones, newspapers from major countries were always spread out across the desk every morning.
It was a scene created by my grandfather, who dreamed of global expansion.
So I had maintained that tradition up until now.
Thanks to that, I could check the article on the front page of the New York Ti...
2025-08-25 14:21:31 +0000 UTC View PostAfter finishing the negotiations with the Hess board,
I had a modest drinking session with David and Dimon.
"Boss! You’ve worked hard. To bring Hess into the Taewoo Group—it was unthinkable just ten years ago."
"That’s thanks to David’s persistent efforts over the decade."
"Certainly, even though Taewoo Group is a Korean company, in American political circles, it’s often viewed as an American company. It’s invested so much there, and the chairman is also an...
2025-08-25 14:21:17 +0000 UTC View Post