The Exchanges

Q Right, of course, yeah. Obviously, before Spotify, you, right, you'd go and, and buy your music at a physical store, and I'm assuming that in Korea, there probably wasn't like a, like a heavy metal record store on every street corner. Exactly. So, so you would probably have to, have to make a special trip to, to wherever that store was, right?

A Exactly. So I, I took like, 45 minutes away, and got there finally, and then, Do you have that album? For like a, it's kind of, some Norwegian band, like a Demo Burger. Yep, I don't have it. But you told me that like, well now we have it, so that's why I came. Sold out. And I was like, that's it? Yep. And, uh, when can I get it? Uh, probably like another month or two months. Give it a try a month later, kid, and I, they treat me like, bad. And I was so mad about this attitude. And then I was in deep thinking on the way back, and I found a company next day. It's called Buy Heart.

AI assessment note: “Exactly. So I, I took like, 45 minutes away, and got there”

Q This was like your captain of your, of your platoon?

A Yes. And he yelled at me, and actually he slapped on my face. He said, hey, Seiju, two years, stop. Morning. Your dad is gone. You gotta wake up. Wow. Wake up. And I ask back, is that that long? Yeah, two years. I think that's enough. Don't you think, son? And I was like, yeah, two years. And then I changed my perspective of thinking on that event of the death of my father, and then I paid attention. If he is alive, what would he care about? At this moment. And answer became very clear. Because before he passed away, he said, Seju, my only departure will make you very strong. Very strong. That's what he said. You are sad today, but you'll become very strong. Like, the bird know how to fly. Birds that get out from the nest sooner, they can learn how to fly faster. And you are basically doing that right now. I'm kicking you out of nest. So do not Take this event too bad. That's what he said. And he goes, I am sad personally, because I know you have a great potential, and you will achieve a success. And that story, I cannot be there, I cannot watch. So, I just realized, it is true. I'm here with some talent, but I have more, and I am, I have, I don't know what else I can do better, and I should optimize and learn. So I can become a better person.

AI assessment note: “Yes. And he yelled at me, and actually he slapped on my face.”

Q And, I mean, eventually you had to take those exams. How did you do?

A I was a good student, I would say, and, um, I, I studied hard, and the, the, I call it a judgment day. The day arrived, and I took an exam, and I, I did my best, and was waiting for the result, and the result came out just, like, a little shy to be guaranteed to, to go, like, medical school, because all the good students go to medical school, So I was like, ok, we'll see. It's a little, like, shy number. We'll see, but I failed. So I couldn't get into medical college. I vividly remember that I cry so hard. Like, I closed the door, and it becomes so embarrassing. It's stupid. It has to be really top of the top, and I was ok. So I was like, oh god, how can I deliver this news to my parents, right? And I just, I, I, I felt exactly, and I still vividly remember that, that day, the afternoon, You know, the sun looks very gray, and then the world was kind of really, like, coming down. That's how I felt, because I failed. That's the, that's the outcome.

AI assessment note: “the result came out just, like, a little shy... but I failed.”

Q And, and did people adopt the Calrific app? Did that have the same adoption rate?

A We literally launched the Colorific with no marketing budget. We just, we, we were probably naive by then. We launched the product. We firmly believe that if the product is good, people will somehow just download it. And matter of fact, the Colorific actually received a ton of downloads. It became a top downloaded application within three months right after we launched. So we, again, proved that we know how to make an app, but we need to figure out what is this then. How can we use technology to help population health? And then it comes up, you know what, whether we have a, you know, believe or try this way, that way, it must be holistic way approach. That was the new, like, aha moment over calorific. We have to build a product is approaching in holistic way to end users. So we again sunset the calorific. And then we put together holistic approach service in 2014. That was a beginning of, like, we need to help our users learn about these four major pillars, nutrition, fitness, stress management, and sleep. And behavior change is very powerful. That was a beginning of, like, aha moment for us, and we launched in 2014.

AI assessment note: “Colorific actually received a ton of downloads. It became a top downloaded application”

Q I mean, I'm not part of the tribe, but I know I recognize the tribe. But so you, you, and so what happened? I mean, you're getting people buying these records. Why didn't the business, uh, continue?

A Um, so what happened was, so the business growing, grew really fast, and I got a call from my mom one day, and, um, you know, like, my mom's voice was kind of like, Not normal. I, I can tell something wrong. She goes like, Seju, uh, we need to have you now, and, um, we are going to have some family discussion, and I was like, oh my god, mom, don't tell me it's about the health, right? Is it about health, it's about you or dad, and my mom just silent, but I can't hear from the phone that she was crying, and I was like, oh man, really? Mom, really? And then I, I took a train back to Yosu, um, It took seven hours to get there. It was the longest travel ever I had. Like, you know the feeling of anxiety? Like, mom, just tell me what's going on here, man.

AI assessment note: “so what happened was, so the business growing, grew really fast, and I got a call”

Q So you're in college. You, you were really into heavy metal music. I bring this up because I guess when you were, like, 19, you kind of started a, like, a heavy metal record label in Korea. What, what was that, what was that label?

A So I entered the school and I studied electric engineering because it looks very safe choice, right, in terms of career growth, and Korea is kind of known for, you know, a lot of good, like, the, the tech company, like Samsung, LG, but, um, I'll be honest. From day one, I was like, why am I here? That's, that's all day long I was thinking. I couldn't pay attention to orientation program at school. And I was completely lost. I was completely lost from like, why am I waking up? And where am I going to school and class? And I was shocked how much I have to study about like advanced physics and magnetic field, all that stuff. And I was like, oh my god, am I going to study this? And also like, what if I become a best student? I may have a chance to go to Samsung Electronics, which is a best case outcome. It's like, oh my god, my life is like, doomed. That's how I felt.

AI assessment note: “So I entered the school and I studied electric engineering because it looks very safe”