The Conglomerate Family Became A Villain [EN]: Chapter 42

42. The Conglomerate Villain – Gather the Geniuses 04 –

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“So, you’re saying Charlie is the CEO of Victoria Corporation?”

Sarah nodded.

“That’s right. Charlie will be conducting the interview today.”

Lee scratched his head.

“I didn’t know Charlie was the CEO.”

Jung Hyun-woo tapped the table.

“I didn’t know Lee would apply to our company either.”

He was equally surprised.

Lee sighed and asked,

“So, what happens now?”

“You mean the interview?”

Lee nodded.

“Yes.”

Jung Hyun-woo crossed his legs.

“I know your skills, Lee, so it’s not really a problem, but can you commit the time to work here?”

Lee, like him, was an MIT student, a semester ahead but still a freshman.

“The job posting said part-time was possible.”

“If it’s part-time, how many hours a week are you thinking?”

“About eight?” Lee suggested. “Four hours each on Saturday and Sunday.”

“Would that work?”

“Wouldn’t that be better than Charlie’s availability?” Lee joked, implying Hyun-woo should worry about his own schedule first.

“Hmm.” Jung Hyun-woo was momentarily speechless. Lee had a point; he was stretched thin.

‘He’s got me there.’

Balancing academics and work was always a challenge.

Sarah was even considering a leave of absence from university because of Victoria Corporation.

“Okay, we’ll register you as part-time.”

“I’m hired?”

“Lee’s skills are more than sufficient.” Sarah didn’t object, trusting Jung Hyun-woo’s judgment.

‘The development side is Charlie’s responsibility anyway.’

Jung Hyun-woo continued, “How much per hour are you expecting?”

“A hundred dollars?”

“Hey?”

“Just kidding.”

In 1983, the average monthly salary was $2,000. That translated to $12.50 an hour based on a 160-hour work month.

“I’ll give you a generous $13.”

“Eight hours would be…”

“$104, but I’ll round it up to $105.”

“Okay.”

Jung Hyun-woo turned to Sarah. “You might forget, so write it down.”

Sarah was already taking notes. “Eight hours for $105, confirmed.”

Jung Hyun-woo nodded and looked back at Lee. “Lee, can you start today?”

“Today?”

“I’ll come by your room this evening.” Jung Hyun-woo was eager to finish the Zero Space 3 project.

“Okay. I’ll be waiting after dinner.”

After Lee left, Jung Hyun-woo said to Sarah, “I think we’ve gotten off to a good start.”

“Is he really that skilled?”

“When he graduates, IBM or Intel will be fighting to recruit him.”

“If he’s that good, shouldn’t we lock him down?” Sarah thought they needed more skilled developers besides Jung Hyun-woo.

“Hmm, I’ll think about it.” He wasn’t entirely convinced about Lee yet.

“The next one is in 20 minutes.”

“We have some time.”

“I didn’t expect the first interview to be so quick.”

The first interview went well, but the second and third were disappointments.

The third applicant clearly didn’t understand the industry and was talking nonsense.

After the third applicant left, Jung Hyun-woo sighed deeply. “I take back what I said about a good start.”

“There are still four more.”

“I’d be lucky if we could salvage one of them.”

Sarah felt a little worried. ‘Surely they can’t all be strange, right?’

Just then, the fourth applicant arrived: a slightly chubby man with glasses.

He looked like the stereotypical computer genius from the movies.

“I’m John River.”

John River. A very ordinary name.

“Mr. River, please sit down.”

John River looked around the garage and sighed. “This is the company?” He seemed very disappointed.

Sarah answered firmly, “I heard Microsoft also started in a garage.”

“Wasn’t it Apple that started in a garage?”

Jung Hyun-woo intervened. “I believe it was both.”

“I see.” John River still looked dissatisfied.

Sarah thought, ‘Maybe the previous two were also put off by the garage and that affected their interviews.’

Jung Hyun-woo, however, had other ideas. He wasn’t going to hire someone who judged the company based on its appearance.

‘Even with our current capital, this is still a startup. We don’t want employees who expect a fancy office.’ He wanted employees who were willing to work hard together.

“What kind of work can you do?”

John River answered Sarah’s question. “I can create various kinds of software. I guess you’d call me a programmer?”

Jung Hyun-woo frowned slightly.

‘A programmer, not a developer.’ The terms were similar, but the nuance was different.

“Are you capable of both coding and design?”

John River tilted his head. “Who’s this kid?”

Sarah answered, “Charlie is the CEO of Victoria Corporation.”

John River’s face darkened. “This kid is the CEO?”

“Mr. River, please be respectful. Charlie is an excellent developer.”

John River tilted his head again. “This kid is an excellent developer?”

“He developed the Zero Space series.”

John River jumped up. “What?” He seemed to know the Zero Space series.

‘I hope he’s a fan…’

However, John River was not a fan. “Isn’t Zero a game that only cares about money?”

A game that only cares about money.

Jung Hyun-woo felt a sting.

‘It’s true I made the game to make money, but a game that *only* cares about money…’ He felt it was unfair.

“So you know the Zero series.”

“Of course. There are no innovative elements; you just changed a few things and called it 2 to fleece users’ wallets, didn’t you?”

Jung Hyun-woo was sure he was a hardcore gamer.

‘Innovative elements. The Zero series doesn’t have those.’

The reason the Zero series lacked innovative elements was because he respected the ideas of the gaming pioneers.

If he had a different mindset, he could have used their ideas to release innovative games.

‘If I had, I might have earned several times more than I am now.’

However, he didn’t want to do that. At least when it came to games, he didn’t want to exploit their creativity.

“I’ll take that as a commercially successful game.”

John River turned to Jung Hyun-woo. “Did you really develop Zero Space?”

“From start to finish.”

“Activision released it?”

“They only handled distribution.”

“*Only* handled distribution?”

“If you’re a developer, you could have seen that in the game credits, right?”

“The Jeong that came out at the end is you?”

“Yes, I’m Jeong.”

The two exchanged questions so quickly that Sarah couldn’t interject.

“Oh…” John River’s face darkened further.

Sarah thought this was another failure. ‘Is the fourth one a bust too?’

As she sighed inwardly, Jung Hyun-woo asked, “Going back to the beginning, I’ll ask again: are you capable of both coding and design?”

John River nodded. “Of course.”

Jung Hyun-woo wanted to test his skills, but there was no need.

“I’ve developed games before too.”

“You developed games?”

“X1861 is a game I helped develop. *That* is a real game.”

Surprisingly, John River was an experienced developer.

“You really made X1861?”

X1861 was a Civil War simulation game. It lacked fancy graphics but was meticulously researched and text-based.

“Damn it! But the world didn’t recognize it! No, the distributor couldn’t sell enough, so the company went bankrupt.”

The reason John River resented the Zero series was because his game didn’t receive the same attention, and his company failed.

Jung Hyun-woo realized he was a victim of the Atari shock [the video game industry crash of 1983].

‘He’s an experienced worker looking for a new job because his company went bankrupt. It’s like looking in a mirror.’ He had been in that position himself.

Jung Hyun-woo nodded in understanding.

“If you made X1861, your skills are proven.”

John River crossed his arms. “I have two years of experience at a game company. If you’re going to make me work in this warehouse, I need $3,000 a month.”

Given that the average monthly salary was $2,000, John River was asking for a premium due to his experience.

Jung Hyun-woo clasped his hands together. “If John really made X1861 and his skills are confirmed, I’ll give you $4,000 a month.”

A monthly salary of $4,000 was an annual salary of $48,000. Even Ivy League graduates often had to go to Wall Street to earn that much.

John River’s eyes widened. “In this small warehouse?”

Jung Hyun-woo answered calmly, “This isn’t our company; it’s just an interview location.”

John River shook his head in disbelief. ‘This is just an interview location?’

Why would they choose this place?

‘Are they trying to imitate Apple and Microsoft?’ He couldn’t think of any other reason.

Tuk. Tuk.

Jung Hyun-woo tapped the table. “Hey, John. There’s no way such a beautiful lady would work in a cramped warehouse.”

John River turned to Sarah, assessed her beauty, and immediately straightened his posture, as if understanding the situation. He put his hands on his knees and raised his voice. “Charlie, no, Mr. Jung! If you hire me, I’ll work really hard!”

Sarah almost laughed at his sudden change. ‘He’s an interesting character, like something out of a cartoon.’

Jung Hyun-woo remained composed. ‘It’s not like I haven’t seen this kind of about-face before.’

He sighed and said, “Sarah, were there any special notes on John’s resume?”

“No, it just said he was a programmer.”

Jung Hyun-woo asked John River, “Why did you write your resume like this?”

John River adjusted his glasses. “I didn’t know what kind of company it was. I couldn’t find it in any magazines.”

“It’s not a listed company, so there’s no stock ticker?”

“That’s right.”

Jung Hyun-woo nodded. “I understand. And you’re in Boston because you graduated from a university here?”

John River’s voice dropped. “I didn’t graduate.”

“Then?”

“I’m on leave of absence.”

Jung Hyun-woo could guess the university. ‘Harvard or MIT?’

He asked, “Which university?”

“MIT.”

John River was Jung Hyun-woo’s senior.

“Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science?”

John River widened his eyes. “How did you know?”

“I can tell at a glance.”

“Did you see me at school?”

“No way.”

“Then how…?”

Jung Hyun-woo stood up. “If you developed games in Boston, wouldn’t that be the most likely place?”

John River stammered, “Just with that…?”

There were many schools with engineering programs in Boston, including Harvard and Boston College.

“Does it matter how I knew, John?”

John River scratched his head. “Not really. I just want a job and a paycheck.” He was in a difficult financial situation, having not been paid for three months.

‘I haven’t been paid for two months since the company went bankrupt.’

John River asked cautiously, “Mr. Jung, is it possible to get an advance?”

Jung Hyun-woo answered, “If I can confirm your skills, I can give you something in about a week.”

“Okay! Then let’s do the test right away!”

Jung Hyun-woo shook his head. “I have a schedule today. If you want to take the test, come back here at noon tomorrow.” He was only planning to interview today, not test anyone.

John River clenched his fist, regaining his enthusiasm. “Okay! I’ll show you my skills at noon tomorrow.”

Jung Hyun-woo watched him leave. ‘He’s from the same department.’

John River and Lee seemed like they would be helpful.

‘Come to think of it, they’re all from MIT.’ Sarah hadn’t exclusively posted job openings at MIT, but everyone hired so far was from there.

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