New Employees With an Annual Salary of 1 Trillion Won - Chapter 199

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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 199. Infrastructure Development (4)

A new market called gaming platforms.

To pioneer this market, we first needed to create a perfect platform.

For that purpose, I assembled the P Project members including Manager Kim and Chad Hurley.

“We plan to create a new platform. We’ll put all packaged games on an internet platform.”

“Is that possible? Game companies won’t easily give up their CD sales revenue. Moreover, the larger the game company, the less they’ll want to be tied to one platform with other companies.”

There were hardly any developers who disliked games.

All the people gathered here were heavy gamers too, and they understood the flow of the gaming market well.

“Of course, we don’t plan to include all games from the start. First, we’ll accept game companies related to us and small to medium-sized game companies. If we just show results, large game companies will eventually have no choice but to follow.”

“In the end, it means we need good results… Will people really enjoy games through an internet platform?”

“If we make the platform properly, gamers will naturally come. Honestly, haven’t you all been annoyed at least once about having to go out to buy games?”

Everyone nodded.

Even if there was a game you wanted to play right away, everyone had experienced at least once not being able to buy it due to time or distance constraints.

“It would definitely be convenient.”

“Now we’re creating an era where people shop for games on the internet, not at game stores.”

“But will people actually use it? While it’s right to pay money for games, aren’t there too many ways to download them for free on the internet?”

“It’s true that many users enjoy games through illegal downloads. But just look at the Rollbook Music case. People who used to illegally download music are now rapidly moving toward paying legitimate costs to listen.”

The illegal game download market was overwhelmingly huge.

In some cases, it was even larger than the legal market, and especially for masterpiece games, it was common for illegal versions to be uploaded to the internet simultaneously with release.

“Music is cheap, but games cost tens of thousands of won, and some even exceed 100,000 won. Due to price differences, illegal downloads won’t disappear easily.”

“We can’t completely eradicate the illegal download market. But if our platform just has good convenience, many users will pay money to download games.”

One of the reasons for illegal downloads was convenience.

If the platform we create has better convenience than illegal downloads?

Eventually, many users would be drawn to choose us for the convenience.

“Hmm, it definitely seems to have potential.”

“Ultimately, success or failure depends on how convenient a platform we can create. And if we really create a perfect platform, large game companies will naturally want to register their games on our platform too.”

“You’re saying we can line up famous game companies under us.”

I nodded.

Right now, game companies are in an absolute position of power,

But the moment the initiative of the packaged game market shifts to our platform, the structure will be completely reversed.

“We’re creating a new gaming ecosystem. Wouldn’t that be interesting?”

“It would definitely be interesting! When do we need to complete it?”

“It shouldn’t be too difficult. We can make maximum use of the Rollbook platform functions. I’d like it completed before this year ends.”

“We’ll make it as quickly as possible!”

The gaming platform conceived to increase data center utilization rates.

But if made properly, it could rewrite the structure of the game distribution market itself.

And the moment that structure is completed, the gaming platform could become Tiger Fund’s reliable cash cow.

***

The IT bubble collapse became a catalyst for Tiger Fund’s growth.

Not only did operating funds increase, but it became an excellent opportunity to secure large stakes in various IT companies.

“Branch Manager, we’ve received positive responses from all global IT companies where Tiger Fund is a major shareholder. Especially Google is entrusting the Asian market entirely to us, so there’s no problem at all with establishing an Asia Branch in Korea.”

“Since we’re leading Google’s Asia expansion strategy itself, that should be considered a natural result.”

“However, the response from Microsoft is negative.”

As expected, Microsoft wasn’t easy.

Although Microsoft was collaborating with Nexfin and Rollbook,

It was natural that such relationships alone wouldn’t be enough to bring Microsoft’s Asian base to Korea.

“What exactly did they say in their reply?”

“They pointed out security issues. Even if several new data centers are built in Korea, their position is that they can’t use them without confidence in security.”

The most important factor for IT companies was security.

If they used overseas data centers and suffered a large-scale hack, the entire company’s trust and image could collapse in an instant.

“Don’t we have no other alternatives besides us?”

“They seem to be considering Japan, Hong Kong, or Singapore.”

“Aren’t the data centers we’re building superior in both scale and performance?”

“That’s correct. But Microsoft is taking issue with the fact that it’s ‘unverified.’ Japan and Hong Kong already have several global companies using data centers, so they seem to trust that experience itself.”

We had to secure Microsoft.

It’s the largest IT company at this point,

And the company that would use data centers the most.

And above all, the fact that Microsoft uses our data center could bring tremendous promotional effects.

“We need to find a way to persuade Microsoft somehow.”

“Microsoft executives will personally inspect Asian base candidates soon.”

“Are they coming to Korea too?”

“They’re just stopping by briefly while visiting Japan. We should consider it as taking a quick look around while they’re at it.”

Microsoft was already considering Korea as 3rd priority, or maybe even 4th.

Since they had maintained their Asian base in Singapore since the 1990s, bringing Korea as a new regional base would require powerful cards.

Even one card wouldn’t be enough.

We’d need to present at least several decisive cards simultaneously to barely make persuasion possible.

“To bring Microsoft, government support is also essential. Before the executives visit Korea, we need to secure government cooperation first.”

“From the administration’s perspective, having Microsoft’s Asian base come to Korea would be a great achievement, so they should be willing to provide various benefits.”

“Get everything we can, from tax benefits to deregulation and procedure simplification. Meanwhile, I’ll prepare other measures.”

There was no reason for the government to oppose.

IT was a national strategic business, and Microsoft’s reputation alone could provide sufficient political benefits to the administration.

But government cooperation alone wasn’t enough.

To definitely bring Microsoft, we needed more powerful cards,

And we had to pour all our time into somehow creating reliable cards.

***

A week had already passed.

I couldn’t even feel how time had flowed,

And only realized a week had passed when Song Sang-yeon entered the office.

“Branch Manager, we’ve completed the first round of negotiations with the government. If we can just bring Microsoft’s Asian base to Korea, they’ve agreed to provide package support including corporate tax reduction, deregulation, site provision, and special zone designation.”

“The government is supporting us more strongly than expected.”

It was stronger support than anticipated.

It was thanks to Song Sang-yeon actively leading the negotiations, and possible because the government’s will was that firm.

“It’s thanks to this administration making IT the national growth engine. If we can just attract Microsoft, they can consider most of their major pledges achieved, so they have no choice but to be cooperative.”

“Good. In the second round of negotiations, secure more support we can receive.”

“We’re targeting to get priority allocation of data center power infrastructure. But… Branch Manager, are you alright?”

Song Sang-yeon stopped talking and looked at my face intently.

Wondering what he meant, I turned my head, and my reflection in the dark monitor screen caught my eye.

A person in beggar’s condition was reflected in the monitor, and I only realized it was me after blinking several times.

“I pushed myself a bit too hard.”

“Branch Manager, you need to go home and rest, even briefly. You haven’t left the company even once for a week.”

“I was planning to leave work once I found a method, but I still haven’t found a decisive way.”

I reviewed every piece of material related to Microsoft.

I received enormous amounts of information through Nexfin, Rollbook, and Omnis, but not a single thing came out that could be used as a negotiation card.

“Then shouldn’t we think in a different direction?”

“That’s why I changed methods. I’m going to review everything completely from scratch.”

“What kind of method?”

“Instead of looking at reports sent by staff or materials organized by Omnis, I’ll directly examine Microsoft’s systems from beginning to end and check each piece of code individually. If I dig in like that, something will definitely catch.”

There was still time to start over from the beginning.

Instead of forcibly combining fragmentary information, I decided to adopt a method of examining even the most minute details myself, like looking through a microscope.

“Branch Manager, wouldn’t that be too much strain? How about proceeding together with development staff?”

“Once I find the method, I’ll proceed with the employees from there. So don’t worry too much.”

“Ah… I understand. But please make sure to eat your meals. I’ll personally bring them to you at every mealtime.”

The Deputy Branch Manager left the office.

From that moment, I began reviewing everything from the beginning again.

First, I re-analyzed the Windows server API from scratch.

It was documentation MS had sent for the Nexpin collaboration, and the moment I opened the code, I felt a subtle discord.

‘There’s legacy code mixed in.’

Code made a very long time ago.

The longer the history of IT companies, the more often they would paste and use old code as is.

That didn’t necessarily mean it was a big problem. Code ultimately doesn’t matter as long as the system works properly.

But the problem was the numbers.

Each piece of legacy code wasn’t problematic individually, but when such legacy code accumulated, vulnerabilities would accumulate along with it.

‘There are too many gaps.’

Old code and new code were tangled together.

Because they had forcibly patched them together, the gaps created in between were much larger than expected.

Large enough for external infiltration to be possible.

At that moment, a discord like mismatched pitch and rhythm flashed through my mind.

The legacy codes scattered everywhere connected like a single wire, revealing the most vulnerable point by itself.

I finally found it.

Quiet but fatal flaws that even MS didn’t know about.

If I utilized this properly, MS would have no choice but to accept my proposal.

They wouldn’t want the worst hacking incident to occur.

I immediately opened the laptop placed next to the monitor and began diagramming the vulnerability structure.

I organized everything: code flow charts, patch records, and even points where exception handling was missing.

I even felt like my fatigue disappeared in an instant.

This wasn’t just a simple discovery, but a clue that would shake MS’s security system from its foundation.

And I began drawing scenarios in my mind, one by one, about how to reveal this clue.

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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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