Chapter 26: What Happened at the Hackathon (2)
The idea pitching session was over, and the team-building phase officially began.
Participants approached the planners who had shone during the idea pitch session, reciting their credentials and forming teams if the conditions were right.
A huge crowd started to gather around our table.
Of course, it wasn’t for me but for Lee Ji-won who was sitting next to me.
“Excuse me, Ji-won-ssi? If you’re a designer, would you like to join our team? We’re all mechanical engineering students from Korea University.”
“Ji-won-ssi? Why don’t you join our KAIST team instead? We’ve a history of winning hackathons like this numerous times.”
Sitting right next to them, I was treated like a straw man, making constant pleas, or rather, recruitment proposals to Lee Ji-won.
However, she firmly shook her head.
“Thank you for the offer, but I already have a team.”
Her cool, frosty voice caused the swarm of hopefuls who had flocked around her to lower their heads and leave.
I asked out of curiosity.
“You had a team already? That was quick. When did that happen?”
“What nonsense are you talking about? Didn’t we agree to team up? Have you already forgotten?”
“Eh, really? You actually want to team up with me?”
I couldn’t understand it.
I didn’t know much about startups like them, nor did I have any development skills.
Why would she reject all those offers from industry experts to team up with me?
“We came here under the condition that we’d team up from the start. I don’t go back on my word. You seem to, though?”
“Oh no, not at all. Ever heard ‘a man’s word is his bond’? Let’s do this. Team.”
“But we need three people to form a team. Where are we going to find the third member?”
“I have someone in mind. Someone we absolutely have to bring.”
Lee Ji-won looked puzzled by my confident reply.
“Who is it?”
“That guy.”
When she saw who I was pointing at, she looked genuinely surprised.
“Re-really… that guy?”
“Yes. I absolutely want to team up with him.”
“…Why?”
“Just because…? I have a hunch. I feel like we can win if we team up with him.”
Hunch, my ass.
It was the unexpected golden light that emanated from Lee Jang-won during his presentation.
It was a brilliance that I had never seen before, to the point of being dazzling.
I approached Lee Jang-won, who was sitting alone in the corner, looking gloomy, as if he were the epitome of a nerd. What on earth could he have that would make such a light burst out of him?
Anyway, since the golden light had never been wrong before, I approached the slumped Lee Jang-won.
“Hello.”
Startled.
Lee Jang-won, who probably wasn’t expecting anyone to talk to him, adjusted his glasses and looked up at me.
“Ah… Yes. Hello.”
“Have you found any team members yet?”
“No… as you can see…”
He seemed to be a very timid person.
With these kinds of friends, it was important to approach them in a way that made them feel comfortable and not pressured.
“Perfect! Actually, I was really impressed by your idea during the pitch and I really want to be on the same team with you.”
“R-really? With me?”
Lee Jang-won’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Of course. Wow! A service that unites people to combat hate in this era of negativity! That’s awesome.”
“That’s not quite what I meant…”
I placed my hands on his shoulders and looked him in the eyes with intensity.
“Honestly, that’s not what’s important. What I saw was the potential in you, Lee Jang-won, more than the idea itself.”
“In me…?”
Remembering the golden light, I nodded confidently.
“Yes. Augmented reality, blockchain, those things don’t really resonate with me. I’m not that interested in them. What struck me more was the sincerity with which you presented your idea earlier. That sincerity was more appealing to me.”
Hearing my words, Lee Jang-won smiled bashfully, clearly embarrassed.
“I’m glad… It’s good to know that it came through.”
“I’ll join your team along with a designer, Jang-won-ssi. How about it?”
“I’d be grateful! But who is the designer…?”
“That would be me.”
“Ugh.”
Lee Jang-won was startled as Lee Ji-won suddenly appeared from behind me.
“Her…?”
It was as if he was asking, ‘Is this really our team designer?’ I nodded in affirmation.
“Yes. Our team’s exclusive designer. She’s a versatile genius with a lot of experience in development as well.”
“I never said I had a lot of experience…”
Ignoring Lee Ji-won’s incredulous remark, I cut her off with a smile and grabbed Lee Jang-won’s hand.
“Okay. With this, the team building is complete. We have exactly three members, the minimum required.”
“Are you sure…? Other teams will probably have at least four or five members…”
“Three is enough. We’ll go for that ‘small but mighty’ vibe. So, shall we decide on a team name?”
Lee Ji-won shrugged as if she didn’t care.
“Just pick anything. It’s not that important.”
“Then how about ‘Ugly Ducklings’?”
“Yeah, sure… Wait, what did you say?”
Lee Ji-won, who had been nodding absentmindedly, suddenly jerked her head up in surprise.
“Ugly Ducklings. Look around. Even the mentors who are here aren’t paying any attention to us. Let’s show them that the ugly ducklings that were treated like leftovers will eventually become swans.”
“It’s all in the interpretation. At first, it sounded awful, but I guess… it’s not bad.”
“What do you think, Jang-won-ssi?”
“I… I like it. Haha.”
Seeing Lee Jang-won nodding with a bright smile made me think that he was easy to scam… or rather… easy to persuade.
Anyway, we submitted our team roster with the name ‘Ugly Ducklings’ and moved on to the team work session.
The event host, Lee Jun-ho, took the microphone and made the final instructions.
“Apart from important announcements regarding schedules and meals, we won’t be bothering you. If you need mentoring, feel free to grab any of the mentors walking around and ask for help. Also, keep in mind that there will be a mid-term presentation on the second day. I wish you all the best of luck.”
Murmur murmur
The room buzzed with activity as team members began to debate intensely.
“Everything is good, but let’s change the interface to this side. It looks too unattractive.”
“You want to move it just because it is not good enough? Do you know how long that will take to change that one thing?”
“Isn’t that what developers are for? I’m just saying this from a designer’s perspective. If we release it like this, we’re just going to get called tasteless.”
“If you’re so confident, why don’t you write the code yourself? It’s easy to talk when you don’t know anything.”
“What did you say?”
“Whoa, whoa, calm down.”
They say developers and designers are like cats and dogs.
As the rationality and sensibility standing at opposite ends clashed, emotions ran high, and the planner caught in the middle broke out in a cold sweat trying to mediate between the two.
Looking at the situation of the team next to us, I glanced at our team’s designer and developer.
Sensing my gaze, Lee Ji-won spoke nonchalantly.
“Why do you think I learned coding? I learned it to minimize conflicts while designing, so don’t worry.”
“I, I also… learned the basics of UX design to some extent…”
“Come on, who said anyone was worried? I just meant we should get along and work together smoothly.”
Feeling a bit guilty, I muttered as if sulking.
“Let’s get started too. First, let’s drop the formalities. We have to work non-stop for four days, so we can’t keep being so stiff, right?”
“I’m fine with it!”
At my suggestion, Lee Jang-won nodded with a shy smile, and Lee Ji-won reluctantly agreed.
“Haha, that’s better, Jang-won-ah. It makes you seem more approachable. Ji-won-ah, relax a bit. You look like you’re about to snap at any moment.”
At my words, Lee Ji-won startled and touched her face.
“First, explain your idea in more detail. Then, we will develop it.”
“To be honest, I don’t have a concrete business model yet… I just think there’s too much hate these days, and I thought it would be nice if people could compliment each other more…”
Faced with this vague idea, Lee Ji-won and I were momentarily at a loss for words.
A sense of bewilderment washed over me, unsure where to start or how to proceed.
But what could I do?
This person was chosen by the golden light, so whether it turned out to be a mess or a masterpiece, I had to try to flesh out the idea.
I stroked my chin, thinking deeply.
“Okay, let’s get this straight, Jang-won-a wants to create a new type of SNS. One where people can compliment each other.”
“Yes! That’s exactly it.”
“Our job is to create a playground where users can have fun complimenting each other.”
With this clear summary, Lee Ji-won and Lee Jang-won nodded in agreement.
“Compliments… Compliments, huh. Have you ever given someone a compliment?”
“Compliments… me? I hardly ever do.”
“I haven’t really met anyone who deserved a compliment.”
“Then let me ask you a question in reverse. Why don’t we give compliments to each other? Compliments are good, aren’t they?”
“Umm… in my case… I feel embarrassed.”
It feels awkward to openly compliment someone. And when I actually try to give a compliment, I can’t seem to organize my thoughts on what to say.”
“That’s exactly it!”
At my sudden outburst, Lee Jang-won’s eyes widened.
“We don’t give compliments because it’s awkward to do it openly.”
Lee Ji-won, catching on to my point, let out a soft exclamation.
“So, we can give compliments anonymously. Using the means of anonymity.”
“Exactly. And we can use voting as a mechanism. It’s a way to reduce the time people spend worrying about what compliments to give.”
Words flowed out of my mouth like a motor had been turned on.
“And we can display voting questions at regular intervals. Something like, ‘Who do you want to befriend the most?’ That sort of thing.”
“Users will cast one vote for the friend who corresponds to the question.”
“Wow! We’ve got a rough concept now!”
Lee Jang-won quickly began writing something down with a note and pen.
“How should we target users?”
“I’m not sure. Let’s target late teens and early twenties who are the most active users of SNS. But users will have to authenticate the school they attend, right? That way, they can only vote for friends from the same school.”
Lee Jang-won raised a counterargument.
“Won’t votes be concentrated on specific users? Users who don’t receive votes might feel left out and leave quickly.”
Then Lee Jang-won, who had been listening silently, suddenly raised his hand.
“I’ll take care of that. We can create an algorithm that ensures each user receives a certain number of votes or more. Additionally, we can analyze the user’s interests and strengths to create questions that they deserve to be complimented on. That way, users can share objective and specific information about themselves with their friends through the results of others’ surveys.”
Lee Jang-won’s eyes sparkled as he enthusiastically offered his opinion.
Lee Jang-won’s enthusiasm was so intense that Lee Ji-won slightly expressed her concerns.
“Of course, if that’s the case, there’s no problem… but can we do all that in just four days?”
Lee Ji-won, who had studied coding, knew that implementing the mentioned feature would be challenging.
“I’ll try to make it somehow, even if it’s rough. We can definitely create an MVP (Minimum Viable Product) as a mobile web.”
Lee Jang-won, who was showing such enthusiasm that it was hard to believe he was the same person who was so timid just a few hours ago.
“Then I’ll try to come up with an optimized UX design.”
“Okay, I’ll handle market research reports and storyboard creation. Let’s give it our all!”
With our joined hands together, the ‘Ugly Duckling’ team cheered and shouted ‘fighting’, immersed themselves in MVP development work, pulling two all-nighters in a row.
Time passed quickly, and soon it was the day of the mid-term presentation.
Hey everyone!
If you enjoy my work and would like to support me, you can now tip or donate via Ko-fi! Your support helps me continue translating by buying the original chapter and sharing it with you all. 💖
Just scan or click the link below to buy me a coffee (or two)! Every little bit helps and is greatly appreciated. Thank you for your generosity!
