New Employees With an Annual Salary of 1 Trillion Won - Chapter 194

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 194. Project Launch (4)

The capacitive panel still needed time to be completed.

But I couldn’t just wait around indefinitely.

I took the nearly incomplete multimedia iPod and headed to Rollbook.

“CEO! Is this the modified version of the iPod? Wow… I don’t know who made the UI, but it runs really well.”

“It runs so well thanks to Manager Kim’s excellent work. But is this your first time actually seeing it?”

“I’ve shared information with the prototype department several times, but this is the first time seeing something close to a finished form. People there are so meticulous, they absolutely refuse to show completed prototypes.”

That was understandable.

I had emphasized security countless times.

I had warned that if prototypes were leaked, I would eliminate the entire prototype department,

And with threats of legal consequences, even Manager Kim, who handled UI and firmware, had built an iron wall around security.

“Security is quite important indeed. This is a new type of multimedia device that no other company has created yet.”

“Definitely… there really isn’t any portable device with all these features. More precisely, they probably didn’t feel the need to make one, right?”

He meant it was a product that wouldn’t make money.

Manager Kim’s observation was accurate, but depending on timing, it could also be wrong.

Right now it might not be profitable, but given time, it would be a device that could rake in money.

“Of course, companies like Samjin or GL could quickly make such devices within 1-2 years if they set their minds to it. But since they don’t feel the necessity yet, it’s actually a golden opportunity for us.”

“What kind of opportunity do you mean?”

“The opportunity to create a perfect device that even global mobile phone manufacturers can’t easily produce, all by ourselves.”

We needed a technological gap of at least 5 years.

Only then could we monopolize and dominate the market.

Of course, given the capabilities of global mobile phone manufacturers, they would eventually close that gap quickly.

But that didn’t matter.

By then, we would already have secured all the related patents.

We had to create a situation where they couldn’t even make similar products without our patents.

“Shouldn’t such technological gaps be created in hardware? It seems we need to keep developing system semiconductors and modules.”

“Hardware is certainly important too. But when the era of such multimedia devices arrives, the core will ultimately be software.”

Most companies and developers were still stuck in hardware-centered thinking.

But hardware performance would inevitably become similar over time.

The real bigger gap would emerge in software.

And as that gap widened, an era would come where it would be difficult to catch up.

“If CEO says so, I should naturally trust and follow. So… what should I do?”

“Firmware alone isn’t enough. Please create a dedicated OS specifically for this device.”

“A dedicated OS? Modern mobile phones do have OS installed… but there’s no precedent of OS being installed in MP3 players.”

Manager Kim spoke with a tearful expression.

To incorporate new features into the iPod,

Manager Kim was the one who had endlessly modified existing firmware with dozens of developers.

But now, to abandon that firmware

And create a completely new OS, he was looking at me like someone who had lost their country.

“I’m not expecting a complex OS like Windows or Mac.”

“Then what kind of OS are you thinking of? You’re not just talking about something slightly better than firmware, are you?”

“I mean creating a structure with expandability. To handle video, communication, networking, and multitasking all together, we need a separate OS just for multimedia devices. And we already have experience.”

It wasn’t an unreasonable request.

We already had sufficient experience.

We were collaborating with Apple and MS.

Particularly, we were directly handling the modification work for MS’s PDA-dedicated OS.

“By experience, do you mean the PDA-dedicated OS modification work? Modifying part of an OS and creating a new OS from scratch are worlds apart.”

“Still, we need to start making it now. And this work is directly related to Rollbook’s future.”

“How is it related to Rollbook?”

Manager Kim’s eyes changed completely.

He was an early Rollbook member who had been in charge of operations since the university lab days.

His affection for Rollbook was immense, and he was someone who loved Rollbook even more than I did.

“Rollbook will face growth limitations within a few years. But if Rollbook can be used on mobile phones or such multimedia devices, we can open completely new markets beyond current limitations.”

“Would it be possible to enjoy Rollbook on such small devices?”

“It’s entirely possible if we create a Rollbook app dedicated to portable devices. Actually, it would have higher freedom than PCs. You could access and use it anywhere, not just at home or office.”

Rollbook’s biggest limitation was ‘location’.

But the moment you could access Rollbook through portable devices, that limitation would completely disappear.

Existing users’ engagement time would multiply.

Not only would advertising revenue increase, but various new revenue models could be created.

“Using Rollbook on portable devices… If that becomes possible, users would definitely explode in number.”

“And there’s one more important point. Rollbook could be the first to dominate this portable device market. If we achieve first-mover advantage, monopolization is possible.”

Being a first-mover wasn’t always advantageous.

Often, late-movers who prepared thoroughly would claim industry leadership over first-movers who jumped in unprepared.

But what if the first-mover had perfect preparation too?

Then the story would be different.

They could create a gap that late-movers could never close, no matter how fast they moved.

“Now I understand. It’s no exaggeration to say Rollbook’s future depends on portable devices.”

“I don’t know exactly when, but an era will come when portable devices… precisely mobile phones, will be used like PCs. We need to prepare from now for that time.”

“I’ll start OS development. And I’ll also begin developing a Rollbook-dedicated app suitable for that OS.”

The most important thing for developers was determination.

There was an incomparable difference between results made just following orders and results created with personal conviction and passion.

Especially for someone in a leadership position like Manager Kim, determination was even more crucial.

And right now, Manager Kim was burning with passion for Rollbook’s future.

***

***

To prepare for the coming multimedia device era,

We also needed to prepare content that would run on those devices in advance.

And among all that content, the field I was most focused on was games.

So I headed straight to the Neomobile office.

The office had changed incomparably from before.

Neomobile, which had been a small publishing company, had now grown into a legitimate large-scale game company with over 100 employees.

“Branch Manager! Why has it been so long?”

“I couldn’t visit often, but I’ve been keeping up with the news. I heard the baseball game you released recently is quite popular.”

“It’s thanks to Branch Manager’s support. Users really love it because it has higher realism than existing baseball games.”

There was a reason for the high realism.

We had introduced the world’s first pitching lab to our professional baseball team.

All the data collected there was applied to the game.

“Still, soccer games account for over 70% of revenue.”

“The IP difference is so significant, it can’t be helped. But we’re satisfied that our self-developed game is generating this level of revenue.”

Soccer was serving as Neomobile’s reliable cash cow.

Revenue was rising sharply every year, and the user base was also growing.

And with continued new game publishing, overall revenue had increased significantly.

But it still wasn’t enough.

There was only one proprietary IP game.

And even that only worked in Korea.

“Aren’t you getting satisfied too quickly? I believe Neomobile can grow much bigger than now.”

“We continue to focus on securing proprietary IPs and publish new games every year, so we can grow more than now.”

“That level isn’t satisfactory. It’s time to enter new markets.”

CEO Park Min-hyeok blinked rapidly.

CEO Park Min-hyuk blinked rapidly.

He seemed to be pondering what I meant by a new market.

“What kind of market do you mean by a new market?”

“We need to enter the mobile game market.”

“You mean mobile phone games? While it’s true that recent mobile phones can play games, they’re nothing more than outdated games with inferior capacity and graphics compared to PC games.”

The mobile game market had begun to open with the spread of color mobile phones.

However, it still didn’t satisfy users accustomed to PC games.

It was closer to something used to kill time briefly on the subway or bus.

“The mobile game market isn’t large right now. But mobile phone performance is rapidly advancing. Soon, the mobile game market will also experience explosive growth.”

“Are you saying we should also enter the mobile game market? We’re not sufficiently prepared. Even if we start development now, it would take until next year at the earliest to launch.”

Starting now wouldn’t be too late.

The lacking parts could be solved with money.

“First, let’s secure the IP of classic masterpiece games. Those games have small capacity, making them easy to convert for mobile use. This method is most efficient for rapid market entry.”

“I understand what you’re saying, but the profitability seems too low compared to the effort required.”

“We can gain experience that’s more important than profit.”

“Experience? Will the market grow large enough to warrant accumulating mobile game development experience? Focusing on the PC game market seems much better.”

CEO Park still viewed the mobile game market skeptically.

To convince him, I needed to accurately inform him about the future of the mobile game market.

I took out the modified iPod I had carefully kept in my bag and showed it to him.

“If you look at this, you’ll immediately understand why I consider the mobile game market important.”

“An iPod? But the appearance… it’s quite different from existing iPods. The screen size seems at least twice as large.”

Just looking at the exterior, there wasn’t anything particularly special about it.

Rather, it was larger and much heavier than existing iPods, giving only an inconvenient feeling.

But the moment I pressed the power button, the inconvenience disappeared and freshness arrived.

“This isn’t a simple iPod. It’s a completely new concept portable device that integrates multimedia functions.”

“How is this… an iPod? Is such a device… possible in today’s world?”

CEO Park’s eyebrows twitched incessantly.

Video playback, calls, Wi-Fi, and even games.

Each time he checked a function, his expression grew increasingly rigid.

As if his mouth had dried up, he kept swallowing saliva.

His eyes, which had been filled with disbelief, had instantly changed to astonishment close to fear.

“This is a prototype created by pouring all of Tiger Fund’s capabilities into it. It still needs several more years until commercialization though.”

“…If such a device really comes into the world, the entire market will be turned upside down!”

“That’s right. Especially the mobile game market will enter a completely different phase. It will grow explosively to a scale comparable to the PC game market.”

CEO Park couldn’t take his eyes off the modified iPod.

Perhaps because too many functions had rushed in at once, he seemed completely dazed as if experiencing cognitive dissonance.

“If this develops just a little more, we’ll really be able to enjoy games comparable to PC games on a portable device.”

“And there’s a more important point. While we’re latecomers in PC games, we can become pioneers in the mobile game market. No one else knows about this type of portable device except us.”

Neo Marvel was a game company that was nibbling away at the PC game pie bit by bit.

But if they prepared for and entered the mobile game market from now, the entire pie could become Neo Marvel’s share.

“Really… can such a device be commercialized?”

“It can. No, I’ll make it happen. I’ll personally make it so, so will you trust me and dive into the mobile game market in earnest?”

“…I’ll trust you. Neo Marvel’s growth to this extent is entirely thanks to you, Branch Manager. So I’ll do it. I’ll definitely do it!”

CEO Park burned with enthusiasm.

Actually, making such a decision based solely on seeing an incomplete modified iPod wasn’t easy.

Nevertheless, the reason he accepted my proposal without hesitation was ultimately because of his trust in me.

So I had to live up to that trust as well.

If only to prove that his decision wasn’t wrong.

I absolutely had to open the era of multimedia devices.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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