n

n

n“Let’s have a drink with Soobum.” Jang Gwangchul said to Woosung.

nA conversation with Hong Soobum. He couldn’t miss it, but…He looked at his friends who were expecting more answers from him.

n“I need to go somewhere…How about you guys?”

nYoon Chanjong hesitated.

n“Didn’t you say you were going to buy us lunch?” Park Jonghyun answered instead.

nWoosung grinned. “I didn’t mean you.”

nThis did not discouraged Park Jonghyun. “Whatever. We’re all friends here. If you’re going to buy Chanjong lunch, then I should come along too.”

n“Haha, you haven’t changed.”

n“Obviously. So what about that lunch? Oh! You said Yeoreum can join too, right?”

nPark Jonghyun looked at Cha Yeoreum, who nodded in agreement. Then suddenly, Yang Jungsuk offered.

n“Haha, I think he must be busy. How about I buy you guys lunch instead?”

nWoosung smiled and murmured. “This guy is making things awkward.”

n“Hmm?”

nWoosung answered. “I can’t today but call me anytime and we’ll meet up soon.”

nWoosung then left with Jang Gwangchul. Yoon Chanjong and Cha Yeoreum looked at him wistfully while Yang Jungsuk glared at him.

n‘Who the hell does he think he is?’

n***

nA warm spring day.

nIt was only 5PM, but Jang Gwanchul took them to a bar and ordered drinks. Hong Soobum, Woosung, and Jang Gwangchul drank together.

n“Hahaha! Cheers!” Jang Gwangchul snickered. “So you guys have already met each other. It’s all meant to be. Oh, and Woosung, you could’ve told me you were going to speak today. I would’ve come to watch.”

n“I figured you must be busy.”

n“Not for you guys, so don’t ever hesitate to call me.”

nWoosung bit into a piece of apple and asked. “And how many people have you charmed like this?”

n“Hahaha! Don’t be jealous! It’s not me who charms, I’m the one who gets charmed.”

nWoosung ate the rest of the apple and replied. “Whatever you say.”

n“You don’t believe me? Come on, Soobum. Defend me.”

nHong Soobum wiped his fork and cup several times and answered. “He’s right. Most people ask to meet Jang Gwangchul.”

n“See?”

n“Fine, fine.”

n“Now how should I address you? Team leader?” Woosung turned to Hong Soobum and asked with an aura of seriousness.

n“That would be fine.”

nWoosung continued. “I would like to learn about what you’re working on.”

nHong Soobum looked at Jang Gwangchul for an approval. When Jang Gwangchul nodded, he answered carefully.

n“The keyword in this mobile era is ‘Connection.'”

nAs soon as he heard the word, Woosung remembered how Coconut worked. He murmured.

n“Connecting people. You mean online chat.”

nHong Soobum paused. Jang Gwangchul looked at him knowingly. Hong Soobum continued.

n“Current text messaging system isn’t great. It takes too long and limited UX (user experience) makes it feel like you’re getting a notice rather than conversing. I would like to change that.”

nWoosung nodded. Everything the man said was true. His heart pounded. He wanted to be part of this project.

n“Just like you said at your presentation, you want to make something like iPhone.”

n“Not necessarily…I just want to create a smoother and faster service.”

n“And if you want that, you’ll have to minimize the amount of necessary data.”

n“Yes. I need to find something faster than HTTP or socket. A method specialized for mobile phones.”

nWoosung had to refrain himself from spilling the beans. By 2018, there was such a technology. He was dying to tell him, but Woosung asked instead.

n“So how far are you thinking to go? Just chat app?”

n“I want to connect everything. Not just person to person, but to stores, products, and so on.”

n“Hahaha. Soobum thinks big. I love it.” The now excited Jang Gwangchul added.

n“iPhone hasn’t even been released in Korea yet. Many people are still unfamiliar with the concept of mobile phones. Don’t you think you are way too ahead?”

n“It would be too late if I develop it after it becomes popular.”

nHe was right. Jang Gwangchul emptied his cup again and asked Hong Soobum.

n“So the problem is that socket and HTTP are too heavy, too slow, and use up too much data.”

n“That’s right.”

nJang Gwangchul turned to Woosung with excitement.

n“What do you think? You think you can fix this problem?”

nWoosung nodded, which made Hong Soobum flinch. Woosung’s eyes sparked as he added.

n“But I would like to get a slice of this company.”

n“Hahaha, you’re so fierce.”

nHong Soobum filled his cup and replied.

n“If you can really fix this problem, then I will give you some shares. We’ll have to discuss on how much though.”

nWoosung answered posthaste.

n“MQTT. You can use the ultra light Pub

/Sup format message protocol.”

nHong Soobum frowned. “MQTT? I’ve never heard of it.”

nIt was because MQTT was not available in the mainstream market yet.

n“Really? Haha. Well I know of it, and you need it. Now, let’s talk about my shares.”

nJang Gwangchul laughed again, but Hong Soobum remained stiff.

n***

nMQTT (Message Queuing Telemetry Transport).

nIt was first suggested by IBM in 1999. Later, Facebook used it for its messaging app. The two advantages of MQTT were its minimal battery and data usage and mobile phones needed these advantages badly. It was a perfect solution.

nHowever, in 2008, it wasn’t yet a popular technology, so it was not a surprise Hong Soobum didn’t know about it yet. Woosung explained the system to him, who understood the concept right away. Even Jang Gwangchul nodded as if he understood as well, which was a surprise to Woosung.

n“Do you understand all of this?” Woosung asked Jang Gwangchul.

n“Of course. I never invest in things I don’t understand.”

n“Oh?”

n“I may be a daytime trader, but after the market closes, I study. That’s why Soobum accepted my investment.”

nHong Soobum nodded. “You’re not quite there yet.”

n“Well, I’m not the developer, so I think I know enough.”

nJang Gwangchul.

nHe surprised Woosung, and it was a pleasant surprise. Woosung felt like he could trust him a bit more now.

n“So what do you think about my solution?”

n“If you can achieve what you just described, it would be perfect for my project.”

nWoosung knew the final decision was Jang Gwangchul’s.

nHe turned to him and asked. “So my share would be?”

nJang Gwangchul looked at Hong Soobum for his opinion.

n“If what Woosung said is true, then it will be crucial for our project. If he is not successful, then we will have to continue to look elsewhere or release an imperfect product.”

n“Did you hear him? He said crucial.”

nWoosung quipped.

n“Hahaha! Fine, 10%…no I will give you 15%, but you need to come up with perfection, not some shabby product.”

n15% of Coconut stocks.

nIn 2018, Coconut was worth 10 billion dollars. 15% would be 1.5 billion dollars.

n“Haha, of course. Now as a shareholder, could I give you a suggestion?”

nWoosung raised his glass.

n“Let’s name it Coconut. The chat app could be called Coconut Talk!”

nHong Soobum agreed. “That’s a great idea.”

nJang Gwangchul had no objections either. Woosung felt excited to be the one naming this incredible product. However, Jang Gwangchul gave Woosung a stern warning.

n“But everything depends if you can deliver, Woosung. Remember that.”

n“Haha, of course. I understand.”

nWoosung’s eyes glinted.

n‘Wait for me, Choi Gichul.’

n