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 by hundreds of developers—
and then effortlessly fix them.
With abilities like hers...
Wouldn't she also excel in artificial intelligence?
"AI development?"
I suggested that Min-jeong join our AI development project.
"You want me to work on AI? Isn't that just science fiction?"
"Smartphones and laptops were once science fiction too. And right now, Professor Hinton—one of the world's leading experts—is spearheading an AI project."
"Professor Hinton? The man who proved the backpropagation algorithm?!"
Min-jeong was extremely familiar with Hinton.
She even pulled out a research paper I had never heard of, looking absolutely thrilled.
"You must be a big fan."
"When I was studying programming and algorithms, I used to dig through the library for Professor Hinton's books and papers. If they weren't available, I even searched the dark web to find them."
The dark web?
Wasn't that where criminals operated?
Just how badly had she wanted to get her hands on Hinton's work?
"I can give you a chance to work alongside Professor Hinton on this project."
Min-jeong's eyes sparkled with excitement—
but then, hesitation clouded her expression.
"I'd love to… but I'd have to go to the U.S. for that, right?"
"Still afraid of flying? I'll arrange for you to work remotely from Korea. But it might come with limitations."
"I still don't want to leave Korea."
What was keeping her here?
Did she have some hidden treasure buried in Korea?
Or was she truly that terrified of flying?
Either way, her determination to stay was crystal clear.
"You can start working from Korea. If you change your mind, just let me know. You still have my business card, right? The number on it connects directly to me."
"Got it. I'll start from Korea for now."
Min-jeong lit up like an excited child.
I left to ensure she could join the AI project as soon as possible.
Back in the Vice Chairman's office, I picked up the phone and called David.
[Boss! What's up? Got another recruit for me?]
"It's not that. I want to recommend a Taewoo IT employee for Professor Hinton's team."
SAVE Investment was funding numerous projects—
and among them, Professor Hinton's AI project was under David's external support division.
[If it's your recommendation, Professor Hinton will probably accept. How could he refuse a favor from his biggest financial backer? But who exactly are you recommending?]
"Chu Min-jeong. She briefly assisted Mark's SNS development team."
[Wait, you mean that genius? Mark never stops talking, but I've never heard him praise someone like this before. He went on for hours about some Korean prodigy.]
Mark, the creator of Facebook, was undeniably a genius himself.
Yet even he called Min-jeong a genius.
That spoke volumes about her exceptional abilities.
"Then I suppose Professor Hinton will be pleased too."
[That, I can't guarantee. The man has spent his entire life immersed in research. He's unbelievably meticulous—if he's even slightly unimpressed, he won't hesitate to kick her out.]
"That's not something I can control."
[Oh! Also, I successfully wrapped up negotiations with the UK Home Office. Thanks to the recommendation letters from EPL club owners, star players, and coaches, they've agreed to issue the work visa. I did add a tiny bit of lobbying, though.]
David's work was, as always, flawless.
Which also meant he had probably driven himself to exhaustion pulling it off.
"Good job. Take a break from drinking for a while and focus on your health."
[Actually, I've been going to a Korean jjimjilbang every day lately. Nothing beats a sauna for sweating out all the alcohol.]
"If you need one closer, I'll build a jjimjilbang right next to SAVE Investment."
[I'll consider it and get back to you!]
Ending the call with David, I finally sat down.
I had hoped to catch my breath, but fate had other plans.
Knock, knock.
With a polite knock, Taewoo Electronics' CEO, Woo-sung Il, entered my office.
"What brings you here unannounced?"
"I apologize. CEO Im Jaebum of KakaoTalk was so insistent that I had no choice but to come."
"Is there an issue with KakaoTalk?"
"Not right now. But to prepare for future challenges, he wants to officially hire the person we previously sent to assist."
"Tell him no. She's already assigned to another project."
"I told him that, but he practically begged me in my office. He said she's indispensable to KakaoTalk's future."
Even Im Jaebum, the CEO of KakaoTalk, was reacting like this?
Even compared to Mark, CEO Im Jaebum was no less formidable.
He was also a genius in his own right, yet even he desperately needed Chu Min-jeong.
"Try to appease him by offering a different candidate."
"I'll do that. And I have another update for you. Thanks to our World Cup marketing, Taewoo Electronics' revenue has increased by over 21% compared to the last quarter."
"Looks like we made full use of the World Cup boom."
"The Korean home appliance market is now evenly split into three. Samsung Electronics is in first place, but we've finally overtaken CL Electronics to secure second place. The gap between the top three is less than 5%, and rankings fluctuate depending on the product category."
Like the Three Kingdoms, the home appliance industry had solidified into a fierce three-way battle.
Taewoo Electronics had climbed to its current standing thanks to massive sales from the iPhone and Apple-Taewoo TV.
"You'll have to work even harder if you want to surpass Samsung Electronics."
"If we had just one more major event like the World Cup, we could easily turn the tables!"
CEO Woo-sung Il's voice was filled with confidence.
But underneath that bravado, he was essentially admitting that Taewoo Electronics couldn't surpass Samsung on its own—it needed an external boost.
"Then keep pushing forward. I trust you."
"Thank you! I'll give it my all!"
With a bow, Woo-sung Il exited the office.
I wasn't particularly fond of him, but I hadn't found a better candidate to lead Taewoo Electronics yet.
So, for now, he would have to do.
"It'd be great if I could find another Chu Min-jeong."
Of course, Min-jeong's abilities had nothing to do with corporate management.
What I meant was that I needed someone with her level of S-tier ability—but in business leadership.
Maybe I should start searching?
Taewoo Group employed countless top-tier talents, and I had only reviewed a fraction of them.
It was entirely possible that someone with S-tier management skills was already working for us.
Whenever I had time, I decided to review our internal talent pool.
Taewoo Group's entire personnel database was digitized.
And as Vice Chairman, I had unrestricted access to all employee records.
Click. Click.
I scrolled through the personnel files, flipping through profile after profile.
Taewoo Group had a vast pool of exceptional talent, but… finding someone capable of leading Taewoo Electronics?
That was proving to be far from easy.
After finishing work, I finally returned home.
With Grandfather away in Vietnam, the mansion felt eerily silent.
Click!
The living room lit up, revealing the time—well past 11 PM.
I tossed my clothes aside and headed straight to the bathroom.
The moment I looked into the mirror, I flinched as if I had seen a horror movie.
My bloodshot eyes were even redder than a rabbit's.
It was no surprise, considering I had spent hours staring at the screen, combing through personnel records without a single break.
On impulse, I splashed water onto the mirror, blurring my reflection.
Then, I quickly finished my shower.
At last, it was time to throw myself onto the bed.
Please, no calls tonight…
I placed my phone beside me, silently hoping for peace.
But, of course—
Bzzt! Bzzt!
The phone vibrated insistently.
"Who the hell is calling at this hour?"
Annoyed, I sat up and checked the screen.
An unknown number.
I hesitated for a moment but picked up anyway, answering in an irritated tone.
"Who is this?"
[It's Chu Min-jeong. Do you have a moment to talk?]
My tone immediately softened.
"Of course! What's on your mind?"
After all, time didn't matter when a genius among geniuses was calling.
[Working with Professor Hinton on this project made me realize something.]
"What is it?"
[Right now, AI isn't advanced enough to hold natural conversations with people. But… there are still many ways we can utilize it.]
"For example?"
[I heard that SNS platforms make money through advertising. Wouldn't it be better if AI algorithms could recommend personalized ads based on user preferences?]
I was momentarily speechless.
Before my regression, Facebook had generated massive revenue through personalized advertising.
Yet, Min-jeong had come up with the idea on her own—before the industry even realized its potential.
"That's an excellent idea. But for personalized ads, we need to collect and analyze user data. If done manually, it would require an enormous workforce."
[Not if we use an algorithm. The AI can automatically collect and analyze the data, then display only relevant ads to each user. That way, both advertisers and consumers will be satisfied.]
I sat up from bed and moved to my desk.
A conversation this important wasn't something to have lying down.
"That's an incredible idea. But is it feasible with our current technology?"
[It's absolutely possible. In fact, using AI algorithms in this way will accelerate AI development itself.]
"Then go ahead and build it. Do you have any other ideas?"
[I do have another idea—it's just a rough concept. Would you like to hear it?]
"Of course! No idea is too small."
After all, when a genius comes up with an idea, there's no reason to turn it down.
What seemed small to her could very well be revolutionary to me.
[This one isn't directly related to AI, but… if we want users to engage with SNS more frequently, we need to enhance push notifications.]
"How do you propose we do that?"
[Whenever someone leaves a comment, we should send a push notification in the form of a text message—encouraging the user to check their SNS.]
"That's an excellent idea. Do you think you could develop it further?"
[It wouldn't take much—just a bit of simple programming.]
"Do you have any other ideas?"
By now, my exhaustion had completely vanished.
Min-jeong's ideas kept flowing like an endless stream.
Most of them were technologies I had seen before my regression, but some were entirely new and innovative.
I was now fully immersed in our conversation.