Chapter 30: You Can Do Anything
Italic = Arabic
“I am truly impressed. You’re quite fluent in Arabic.”
Arabic is known as one of the most challenging languages to learn in the world.
Though my Arabic was not perfect, it was good enough for communication, and Sulaiman could not hide his surprise.
Even my teammates, Lee Ji-won and Lee Jang-won, were staring at me with their mouths agape in astonishment.
“It’s still lacking, but I’ve always been interested in Arabic.”
“Why?”
“Like other Middle Eastern countries, I feel that the UAE, in particular, has limitless potential for development.”
Of course, that was just flattery.
I had naturally picked up the language because there were so many foreign crew members who spoke Arabic as their native language.
The man with the turban in front of me seemed extraordinary, so I wanted to make a good impression.
Sulaiman smiled warmly with a face full of admiration.
“Hahaha. It feels like I’ve received a wonderful gift from an unexpected place. The level of Korean university students is truly amazing. I apologize for interrupting you. That’s all for my questions.”
With a satisfied smile, Sulaiman lowered the microphone.
Now was the time to conclude gracefully.
Glancing around the audience, who were completely engrossed in me, and I raised my voice a notch.
“Sometimes, our actions may seem as insignificant as a drop of water in the ocean. But we must remember that even a single drop of water can make a difference in the level of the sea. And it doesn’t take great skill or a lot of money to bring about ‘small changes’ in the world.”
Song Dae-woon’s eyes sparkled brightly as he looked at the audience once more.
“‘Thumbs Up’ has been officially in service for just two days. And it has only targeted a few middle and high schools in Seoul and Gyeonggi. As of this year, there are 2.7 million middle and high school students in South Korea. In other words, ‘Thumbs Up’ is just getting started. We have validated the market, and we are planning to launch a mobile app as soon as possible aiming to achieve one million cumulative downloads by the end of this year. That’s all.”
A moment of silence filled the spacious hall.
Then, applause erupted like thunder.
Clap clap clap clap clap clap clap
“Wow… that’s crazy. They are launching the service and already gathering users.”
“How are we supposed to compete with that? They already have 100,000 users.”
“Who is that person? Is he an Arabic major? This is the first time I’ve seen an Arabic major participate in a hackathon.”
Ignoring the intense stares from the crowd, I confidently returned to my seat.
Lee Jang-won, unable to hide his excitement, clenched his fists.
“You’re the best! You nailed it, hyung! Didn’t you see the judges’ eyes light up?”
“When did you learn Arabic? You’re quite fluent.”
Still in shock, Lee Ji-won asked with wide eyes.
“I guess I just picked it up naturally as I tried to survive?””
It wasn’t entirely untrue.
In fact, there were many Moroccan and Egyptian crew members among the veterans of the Zeus, and it wasn’t easy to mingle with them.
They always gathered together and spoke only in their native language, which left me frustrated because I couldn’t understand a word they were saying.
So, I stubbornly pushed my way in their group and started learning Arabic words one by one.
Maybe my determination to learn their language was quite endearing, because the foreign crew members also opened their hearts and started teaching me properly, and by the time I was in my second year, I was able to communicate at a basic level.
‘Thank you, Abdul Fattah. You are a big help.’
I silently expressed my gratitude to an old friend who had been particularly enthusiastic about teaching me Arabic.
About twenty minutes later.
Holding a sheet of paper in his hand, Lee Jun-ho ascended the stage.
“Thank you for waiting. We will now announce the award winners.”
A heavy tension filled the spacious hall.
In a way, all the hard work over the past four days had been leading up to this very moment.
For some, this award could be a valuable asset in job hunting, while for others, it could serve as a stepping stone to starting their own business.
“First, we will announce the Encouragement Award winners. The team receiving this award will be given a certificate from the president of Korea University’s Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation along with a prize of one million won. The winning teams are… the Nucal Collaboration Hackathon team, the Energy Wave team, and the Award Albanos team! Congratulations!”
“Waaaaah!!”
The team members of the announced teams embraced each other, savoring the joy of their victory.
Afterwards, the bronze and silver awards were announced, and finally, only the gold award remained.
“We will now announce the highly anticipated gold award. The gold award goes to… the ‘Ugly Duckling’ team, creators of the ‘Thumbs Up’ service! Congratulations.”
Clap, clap, clap, clap.
It was an undisputed result.
How could anyone compete with a service that had gathered 100,000 users in just two days with an MVP?
Everyone participating in the hackathon gave us three generous rounds of applause as we ascended the stage.
Lee Jang-won, feeling nervous, was pushed forward and stumbled onto the stage.
Looking flustered, Jang-won glanced at me, but I gestured for him to go ahead.
“As previously mentioned, the gold award includes a certificate from the Minister of Science and ICT and a prize of ten million won. In addition, the winning team will also qualify for the finals of Challenge K-Startup, the largest startup competition in the country. Once again, congratulations.”
[Korea University Hackathon Competition]
[Gold Price: 10 Million Won]
Lee Jang-won approached us, holding the award plaque.
Without any prompting, the three of us lifted the gold award plaque high in the air.
“Waaaaah! That’s amazing!”
“The gold award is well deserved. Congratulations!”
“Everyone worked hard!”
The “ugly duckling” that was once ignored by everyone had transformed into a beautiful swan, soaring through the sky with magnificent feathers.
***
That evening, we naturally gathered for a celebratory dinner.
We split the 10 million won prize equally among the three of us, and we planned to use the remaining money for our feast.
“Everyone did a great job. Cheers!”
We headed to a jokbal 1pig’s trotters restaurant because we were tired of the smell of chicken and pizza.
“Ah… this is amazing. I forgot how good earthly beer tastes.”
With a look of admiration, I wiped the foam from my lips and gazed at my beer glass
“Anyone seeing you right now might think you just got released from prison.”
A faint smile, almost invisible.
But now, I know.
I can understand how excited Lee Ji-won is feeling right now.
“ Well, if you want to call it that, then so be it. We were cooped up in our room for four days straight. Wasn’t that right, Jang-won-ah?”
“Sigh… I still can’t believe it. We won the gold prize, beating all those formidable competitors…”
“Hey dummy, we won the gold prize because we were more formidable than those competitors.”
“Eek! Okay, I surrender!”
Under my powerful headlock, Lee Jang-won flailed around and desperately cried out his surrender.
“By the way, what did the judges talk about when they came over earlier?”
In response to Lee Ji-won’s question, I took a sip of beer and chuckled.
“Oh, they just gave me their business cards and told me to reach out if we needed help. I passed them all to Jang-won.”
“Especially that Arab guy. He seemed really interested, didn’t he?”
I pulled out a green business card that I had shoved into my pocket carelessly.
“Sulaiman? He insisted on meeting again. He said something about how we’ll cross paths again sometime. He even followed me back on Stargram right there on the spot.”
“Nooroq Partners? I looked it up, and it’s apparently the largest venture capital firm in the UAE. I heard the UAE is very interested in promising startups. They’re also very aggressive with their investments.”
“Hmm… really? But what are the chances I’ll see him again?”
“What do you mean?”
“What about the K-Startup finals? You earned the qualification.”
“What about it? Jang-won will handle it just fine.”
Lee Jang-won’s eyes widened in surprise at my words.
“W-what about you and Ji-won noona?”
“We mentioned it on the first day. We participated in the hackathon for different reasons. Ji-won-ie, are you going to continue to K-whatever with Jang-won-ah?”
“No way. I’m done here, too.”
A dark shadow fell over Lee Jang-won’s disappointed face.
“But still… What can I do all by myself without hyung and noona?”
“Who said you’d be doing it alone?”
“Huh?”
“Get a grip, man. You created ‘Thumbs Up.’ In the first place. It’s your baby. Are you going to let it die before it even has a chance to shine? Especially when so many customers are asking for it?”
“N-no, absolutely not.”
Lee Jang-won shook his head.
“We’ve only just validated the market. There’s still a long way to go. Now we need to properly develop the app and do marketing. Isn’t that right, Mr. CEO?”
“C-CEO…?”
Lee Jang-won muttered the word ‘CEO’ with a dumbfounded expression.
“How much time do we have until the K-Startup finals?”
“Two months.”
“Time is tight. Starting tomorrow, assemble your own team right away. Do it with your own hands. And show everyone what you’re capable of through the K-Startup competition. The value you want to bring to the world.”
“The value I want to bring to the world…”
“Of course, it won’t be easy. There will be all sorts of trials and tribulations. But you can do it. Jang-won-a, how many times have you said you’ve failed at starting a business?”
“Six times…”
“Exactly! That means you’re already way ahead of others. You’ve learned from your mistakes six times.”
Lee Jang-won’s previously drooping head began to lift slowly.
“And what if you fail with a seventh attempt? Just try again. You’re still young. You don’t have a family to support yet. As long as you have the will, you can always get back up. And I have a feeling— no, I’m sure—that ‘Thumbs Up’ is definitely going to succeed. My intuition is pretty good so far, so go for it with your life.”
Of course, it wasn’t just his intuition but the golden light that assured me of its success.
Regardless, as long as the golden light shone brightly, it was clear that things would keep growing as long as we didn’t stray from the path.
Lee Ji-won, who had been listening silently, chimed in.
“Sorry to dampen the mood, but recruiting people, developing the app, and doing the marketing will require a considerable amount of capital. The prize money we received today won’t be nearly enough.”
“I’ll invest.”
“What?”
I felt a newfound gratitude toward Lee Ji-won.
I had been waiting for the right moment to bring this up, and now the opportunity had presented itself.
I looked steadily at Lee Jang-won, who was staring at me in a daze.
“I’ll provide 50 million won in seed funding in exchange for 10% of your company’s equity. I’ll be your angel investor.”
“F-fifty million won?”
“Do you think I mean five thousand won?”
Even Lee Ji-won couldn’t hide her surprise.
“Are you serious? You’re willing to invest fifty million won in a startup that hasn’t even properly started yet?”
Without a moment’s hesitation, I nodded.
“Yes. Jang-won-ah, get your business registered as soon as possible and start assembling your team.”
Feeling parched, Lee Jang-won chugged his beer and then asked me.
“What makes you so confident to invest such a large sum in ‘Thumbs Up’?”
His intense gaze showed he was determined to get an answer. I gave a broad smile.
“I’m not investing in ‘Thumbs Up’.”
“What?”
“Even if ‘Thumbs Up’ has had a positive reception so far, who can guarantee its future success? I’m investing in you, Lee Jang-won, as a person. You can do anything you set your mind to.”
“Ah…”
Lee Jang-won didn’t ask any more questions after that.
A few days later, Lee Jang-won sent a photo on KakaoTalk of him holding his business registration certificate.
This marked my first angel investment and the beginning of my connection with Beslo, which would later become a unicorn company with a future enterprise valued at one trillion won.
***
“So… you’re saying you actually got an award at the Korea University Hackathon? And you won the gold… prize?”
Professor Min Dong-won trailed off in disbelieve, looking at the Minister of Science and ICT Award in his hand and then back at the two of us.
His usual poker face had completely crumbled.
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